THE public, especially farmers in areas like Johan Setia in Klang, Dengkil and other parts of Selangor, are not deterred by the worsening haze conditions and are continuing to carry out open burning blatantly.

They are continuing to conduct open burning on their farms while others, especially in residential areas continue to burn their garden waste and rubbish.

These irresponsible activities are contributing to the haze, said to be the worst ever experienced by the state.

Due to the situation, the Selangor government has warned that stern action would be taken against those caught conducting open burning.

During a check by StarMetro, the team saw that hectares of land in Selangor was set on fire to clear them for farming activities.

Peat soil land is highly flammable and coupled with dry weather, can be difficult to contain.

This, however, has not stopped the farmers from taking the cheaper alternative to clear their land of overgrowth and even using the ashes as fertiliser for their produce.

Klang Consumers Association president A. Devadass said he had received numerous complaints from the public about the irresponsible action of residents who burnt their garden waste.

He said the authorities should punish the culprits as this would serve as a deterrent for others from doing so.

“The Air Pollutant Index (API) in Klang and Port Klang has been recorded at high levels and what the locals are doing is just making the situation worse,” said Devadass.

State Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said the government would not compromise on this matter and those caught conducting open burning would face the music.

“The Selangor Department of Environment is investigating complaints against several landowners and they will face the full brunt of the law,” she said, adding that the government will not hesitate to confiscate land belonging to the culprits.

Wong also said those responsible would be prosecuted under the Environment Quality Act 2012, which carries a RM500,000 fine or a five-year jail term.

She also said imposing just a fine would not do any good.

“Stiffer punishment is needed to act as a deterrent,” she told reporters yesterday.

She said this during a joint operation between the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and the Fire and Rescue Department to put out peat fires in Johan Setia, Klang.

There is more than 1,600ha of peat land in Johan Setia and of this, 1,200ha is agricultural land.

Despite daily operations to put out the fires, the authorities are having a hard time as the fires reignite within a day of being put out.

Their task is made harder when there are few sources of water nearby, whether natural or piped.

Klang Fire and Rescue Department head of operations Masdar Suminggu said there were four sectors in the area, which were classified as hotspots.

“Although water sources are limited, we have managed to contain all four sectors,” he said, adding that 19 men from his department were involved in the operations.

The smog from the peat fires have spread to nearby developments such as Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Bandar Puteri, Bandar Parklands and Taman Sentosa.

Meanwhile, as at 5pm yesterday, the API for Port Klang was recorded at 464, at a hazardous level. This is the worst reading in the Klang Valley.

Shah Alam was recorded as very unhealthy (252). Areas that are below 200, under the unhealthy category are Putrajaya (176), Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur (163), Cheras (147) Banting (197), Kuala Selangor (192) and Petaling Jaya (181).

A reading of 0-50 is categorised as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy and 300 and above as hazardous.