Bomba responds to daily average of 16 bush fire cases statewide since Sept 1

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Bomba personnel hard at work to put out a bush fire. – File photo

KUCHING: The State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has responded to a daily average of 16 cases of bush fires statewide since Sept 1.

As of 2pm today, Bomba said a new bush fire was each recorded in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sarikei, bringing the total cases to 162.

It added that the total area affected during this 10-day period was 285.566 acres.

It noted that the highest number of fire recorded in a day was on Sept 6, with a total of 26 cases, followed by Sept 7 with 25 cases.

Meanwhile, just across the border, moderate to dense smoke haze continued to emanate from persistent hot spot clusters in South, Central and West Kalimantan, as reported by Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC).

For the next few days, generally dry conditions are forecasted to prevail over the southern Asean region, and hot spot activities are expected to persist may worsen.

Transboundary haze is likely to continue to affect parts of the southern Asean region, including Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sarawak.

As of 3pm today, the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings remained unhealthy for Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman at 138, 119 and 182 respectively. All other stations recorded moderate readings (below 100).

For hourly updates, check http://apims.doe.gov.my/.