A view of the town engulfed in thick haze from the seven-storey Kuan Yin Pagoda at 10am yesterday.
Dato Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
SIBU: Federal and state enforcement agencies are urged to act on those carrying out open burning which could worsen the current haze situation in Sarawak.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dato Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said enforcement agencies tasked with enforcing the environmental law should do their duty.
“Take action against all offenders of open burning from all sectors of industries and domestic waste disposal,” he said yesterday.
The Santubong MP said this when asked if public should stop backyard burning in their house compound to clear their garden waste which could worsen the current situation.
Meanwhile, Junaidi said the change in wind direction had carried the smoke from Kalimantan to certain parts of Sarawak.
Sri Aman had the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Sarawak at 2pm yesterday at 147, followed by Samarahan (126), Kuching (122), and Sarikei (101), experiencing unhealthy air quality.
The API guide from Department of Environment (DOE) indicates reading from 0-50 (healthy); 51-100 (moderate); 101-200 (unhealthy); 201-300 (very unhealthy) and 301 and above (hazardous).
Schools in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong and Saratok were among those closed yesterday.
Education Ministry in a statement stated that 4,778 schools were affected, involving 2,696,110 students.
Asked on possibility of cloud seeding in Sarawak, he said: “Cloud seeding is automatically considered by National Security Council once the API reading reaches 150.”