KUCHING: Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has advised Sarawakians to avoid open burning during the drought season due to the high risk of haze in the state.
He said the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has detected an increase in hotspots in South and West Kalimantan, and with the Southwest Monsoon ongoing, it might bring haze into the state.
“Based on the data from the ASMC on Aug 8, there has been an increase in the number of hotspots in South and West Kalimantan.
“The dominant wind coming from the west may affect Sarawak’s air quality especially in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Betong divisions,” he said during a press conference here yesterday.
The deputy chief minister said the risk of haze occurring in the state is high due to local and transboundary haze from Kalimantan, adding that the situation is made worse by the drought season which is expected to sweep across the state in the next several days.
At the same time, he said ASMC has also detected 37 hotspots within Sarawak itself, with the number reducing by one each on Aug 9 and Aug 10.
“This has also affected the Air Pollutant Index (API) in several locations in the state. This situation is expected to get worse if open burning is not controlled and the number of hotspots in the state increases.
“I urge everyone to avoid open burning during this time so that the situation does not get worse,” he said.