SULTAN of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has expressed concerns over the escalating air pollution in Balok Baru triggered by the massive fire at a coconut plantation near the KuantanSungai Ular bypass here.

The Comptroller of Istana Pahang, Major-General Datuk Mohamed Zahari Yahya, in a statement, said the ruler advised all outdoor activities, especially those involving schoolchildren, to be temporarily suspended due to health concerns.

“Residents living in the affected and surrounding areas, especially those with respiratory conditions, have to be extra careful not to be directly affected by the air pollution,” read the statement.

“The public is cautioned not to conduct any open burning, especially during the current hot weather and windy season.”

On Monday, huge clouds of thick smoke billowing into the sky from the massive blaze saw the nearby Balok Baru area recording an Air Pollution Index reading of 251, which is considered “very unhealthy” by the Department of the Environment.

It was reported that firefighters in the state are attempting to douse the fire at a coconut plantation near the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, which was caused by the recent heat waves. The fire broke out on Feb 22.

KUANTAN: A massive fire at a coconut plantation near the Kuantan-Sungai Ular bypass here has been raging for more than 10 days, resulting in a devastating impact on fruit trees and significantly reducing air quality in the vicinity.

The fire, which broke out on Feb 22, has, to date, consumed an area measuring a total of 130ha. Of these, the fire in 91ha has been extinguished.

Battling relentless heat and strong winds, firefighters have been working tirelessly to contain the flames that continue to spread at alarming rates. The scorching heat poses a tough challenge for the 70-odd personnel, especially while observing Ramadan.

The media were yesterday transported by four-wheel-drive vehicles provided by the Fire and Rescue Department to the site, about 5km from the operations centre in Gebeng.

The narrow and bumpy road covered with red soil made the ride arduous and some sections were covered with thick smoke. This resulted in zero visibility conditions, forcing the driver to carefully navigate the vehicle to prevent any untoward incident.

Firefighters drenched in sweat were seen spraying water, pumped from a nearby trench, onto the ground to ensure the soil burning beneath the peat surface is properly doused as they try to control the flames from spreading.

The whirring sound from the water pumps fill the area, once covered with lush green coconut trees, as firemen carefully pull the lengthy rubber hoses to ensure it does not come into contact with the burning embers on the ground.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Razam Taja Rahim said besides firefighters on the ground, the department had deployed a MI-17 helicopter which made 30 trips to drop water buckets holding 1,200l of water each time it took to the skies.

“Besides water bombing, we have utilised the total flooding technique by releasing water from a tanker into the burning site. Once the water fills the trenches, we use the pumps to draw water to put out the blaze in the vicinity.

“Three backhoes and two excavators are used to dig trenches to serve as a fire break to help prevent the flames from spreading.

“We have also applied the direct attack (extinguishing) techniques when there are fresh burning sites.”

Razam said continuous hot weather and strong winds had made their job challenging and hampered efforts to douse the fire.

“We nearly put out the fire on Friday, but windy conditions over the weekend and the constant changing of wind direction at night triggered more areas to be affected and the situation prolonged.

“Besides firemen, the Drainage and Irrigation Department, Public Works Department and Environment Department (DoE) are assisting at the site and we hope to completely douse the fire by the end of this week,” he said.

State DoE director Wandi Yadzid Yaakob said the department had met a representative from the plantation to determine the cause of the fire.

“The fire was not caused by open burning activities. We are working closely with the Fire and Rescue Department to identify the cause of the fire,” he said.

Page 1 pic: An aerial view of the massive fire at a coconut plantation near the KuantanSungai Ular bypass in Balok Baru yesterday.

PUTRAJAYA: Indeks Pencemaran Udara (IPU) di Balok Baru, Kuantan direkodkan pada tahap 250 iaitu sangat tidak sihat setakat 4 petang tadi.

Ketua Pengarah Alam Sekitar, Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar berkata keadaan itu disebabkan oleh kebakaran tanah gambut di sebuah ladang kelapa di Cherating, Kuantan.

Beliau berkata, Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) telah mengeluarkan Nota Pemberitahuan Amaran 3A & 3B kepada Pusat Kawalan Bencana Negara (NDCC) untuk tindakan hebahan Notis Kesiapsiagaan Operasi Bencana bagi mengaktifkan Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Peringkat Daerah/Negeri dan mengambil tindak balas berdasarkan Pelan Tindakan Jerebu Kebangsaan.

"JAS telah meningkatkan tindakan penguatkuasaan dan aktiviti pemantauan melalui darat dan udara dengan menggunakan dron serta memantau bacaan IPU dari semasa ke semasa.

"Koordinasi di antara agensi berkaitan bagi merancang kerja-kerja pemadaman dan kawalan kebakaran turut telah diadakan," katanya dalam kenyataan malam ini.

Sementara itu, Wan Abdul Latiff berkata, berdasarkan Peta Jerebu Serantau yang dikeluarkan oleh Pusat Meteorologi Khas ASEAN, selatan Asia Tenggara hari ini mengalami cuaca mendung di kebanyakan bahagian kecuali Semenanjung Malaysia dan utara Sumatera, Indonesia.

PETALING JAYA – Jabatan Meteorologi (MetMalaysia) menjangkakan hujan dalam tempoh yang pendek di beberapa kawasan di Pantai Barat Semenanjung seperti Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya dan Melaka pada petang ini.

Menerusi laporan cuaca di YouTube, MetMalaysia berkata, keadaan cuaca di empat negeri terlibat dalam suasana mendung.

“Kebarangkalian untuk berlaku hujan (sebelah petang) itu ada, kebanyakan tempat dalam keadaan agak mendung disertai dengan hujan sekejap-sekejap.

“Bagaimanapun ia akan beransur reda sedikit masa lagi,” katanya. Tambah MetMalaysia, keadaan kurang hujan di kawasan Semenanjung boleh berlarutan sehingga ke malam nanti.

Sementara itu, dalam laporan cuaca berlainan, MetMalaysia memaklumkan ribut petir, hujan lebat dan angin kencang dijangka melanda negeri Sarawak membabitkan bahagian Sarikei (Meradong), Sibu, Mukah (Tanjung Manis dan Daro), Kapit (Kapit dan Belaga), Bintulu (Tatau), Miri (Telang Usan) dan Limbang.