LABUAN — The Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in the Federal Territory of Labuan reached an unhealthy level of 168 as at 10 am today, according to the Department of Environment (DOE) Labuan.
The DOE said the latest reading, recorded on its website, showed an increase in the API level in Labuan amid deteriorating air quality caused by transboundary haze from forest and peatland fires in Kalimantan.
Thick smoke from the fires was carried by winds, affecting parts of Borneo, including the Federal Territory of Labuan, it said.
The DOE Labuan has since stepped up enforcement action and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning, while monitoring API readings from time to time.
It also advised landowners to closely monitor areas that are vulnerable to fires, including landfills, forests, bushes, agricultural areas and industrial sites, and to take preventive measures to prevent trespassing that could lead to open burning, whether intentionally or accidentally.
The DOE urged the public to check the latest hourly API readings through its website or the official MyJAS EQMS smartphone application available on Google Play and the App Store.
The public was also advised to visit the Health Ministry’s website for health advice and preventive measures during the haze.
Under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, those convicted of open-burning offences can be fined between RM25,000 and RM1 million, or jailed for up to five years, or both.
A compound of RM2,000 to RM500,000 may also be imposed for open-burning offences, the DOE said.
The public is also urged to help put out small fires and report cases of open burning or fires to the Labuan Fire and Rescue Department at 999, or the DOE Labuan at 087-408772 or 010-2708772.
Complaints can also be lodged through the DOE’s e-Aduan portal.
