MIRI: The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) has temporarily halted the issuance of permits for open burning in plantation areas in view of the current dry spell and haze in the state.
NREB controller Peter Sawal said if the situation warranted it they would also revoke existing permits.
“We did issue such permits before this for the whole state. However, we might have to revoke them if the haze situation deteriorates,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.
On hotspots, Peter said there was none reported in northern Sarawak, including Miri, but a few were detected in other areas.
“On June 20, four hotspots were detected over in Sarawak. One of them do have permit for open burning while the remaining three were from local farmers conducting open burning.
“The fire weather index (indicating dryness and heat levels) for all divisions are high, between eight and 18, which is considered high fire hazard.”
The Air Pollution Index (API) for Miri City rose from 65 on Thursday to 77 at noon yesterday. However, it went down slightly to 74 by 2 pm.
In Kuala Baram, especially in areas around the Industrial Training Institute (ILP), the API reading was 70 on Thursday and it went up to 78 as at 2 pm yesterday.
An API reading of 0 to 50 are considered healthy, 51-100 (moderate), 101-200 (unhealthy), 201-300 (very unhealthy) and 301 and above (hazardous).
The hazy situation here was due to transboundary haze, particularly from Sumatra, and local open burning since last week.
Meanwhile, several members of the public interviewed said the hazy situation had affected their daily endeavours, including business operations.
Meritz Hotel public relation officer Joanne Law said, “the haze has somewhat affected our business, especially at the outdoor restaurant overlooking Miri City.”
Allen Wong, a father of two, said he had to cancel a planned family outing because of the haze.
“Because children have low immunity, I don’t encourage them to have outdoor games in situations like this. Instead, we opt for indoor activities,” he said.