Malaysia’s facing not only a water emergency should the current drought continue unabated: we’ve also been experiencing a sharp rise in the number of forest fires.
Tuesday alone clocked in a record 643 cases of forest fires around the country, according to the Fire and Rescue Department’s website.
As of yesterday, Perak, Kedah and Johor had the highest number of forest fires.
Yusri Basri of the Fire and Rescue Department attributed the high number of forest fires to the drought, despite the department’s best efforts to prevent and contain them.
“In the dry season, there is dry wood which can easily catch fire,” said the senior operation and management officer.
Yusri went on to say that another possible reason for the fires is open burning, usually carried out on a small scale by plantation workers across the country.
“When they want to clear the land for planting season, they cut off all the trees and burn it on a small scale but the dry air and wind make the fires bigger and uncontrollable,” he said.
“They have no intention to start a big fire. They want to clear the ground and the cheapest way is to burn.”
The rising number of forest fires also contributes to the Klang Valley’s worsening haze conditions. Port Klang and Banting today tipped over into hazardous Air Pollutant Index readings, with 13 other areas in the country recording unhealthy air quality levels.
Story: The Malay Mail Online
