NIBONG TEBAL – Nearly half of the Seberang Prai Selatan district here has been blanketed by a thick plume of smoke due to the Pulau Burung landfill fire that began Wednesday.
The thick smoke originating from the dumpsite can be clearly seen within a radius of 10km which resulted in air pollution following the hot weather spell that hit Penang recently.
State Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar when contacted by The Vibes said they received an emergency call on Wednesday at about 5pm.
“Currently, the extinguishing operation is still underway, with the situation under control.
“The problem is, although the fire is no longer on the surface, the smoke is still clouding the area due to the fire that is still burning underground,” he said.
Saadon said that he was informed of the fire in the ground involving a depth of almost 12m and it is expected to take quite a long time to resolve.
Following the incident, he added, a special committee comprising several state and federal government agencies was also set up to ensure that it could be resolved immediately.
“The extinguishing operation was carried out by more than 50 firefighters from the Nibong Tebal, Sg Bakap, and Bayan Baru fire and rescue stations who have also been camping in Pulau Burung for the past few days,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penang Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the fire was the largest landfill fire in the state’s history.
“In the past, there was a fire incident at a landfill in Ampang Jajar in the 90s, and in Jelutong in 2010.
“We managed to extinguish the fire by three to four weeks at that time, with approximately four to six hectares (of land plot).
“But the fire in Pulau Burung is the largest involving an area of almost 12ha. So, we learn from previous experiences,” he said.
Phee said the fire incident at the Pulau Burung landfill was difficult to control due to its location by the sea, apart from the absence of rain in the state for the past few days.
He said the state government also had a plan in place to evacuate nearby residents to temporary evacuation centres if the situation worsened.
“There are about 400 residents involving 85 families who live nearby, namely in Ladang Byram. We will continue to make sure they are safe,” he said.
Last Friday, Sahabat Alam Malaysia asked the Penang government, Seberang Prai City Council and Syarikat PLB Terang Sdn Bhd as the party managing the Pulau Burung landfill to immediately resolve the fire issue at the site which has been raging since Wednesday.
Its president Meenakshi Raman said foul smoke caused by burning solid waste filled the air space like a haze and entered the settlements.
Among the areas threatened by air pollution are Kg Baru Byram, Kg Changkat, Kg Bagan Buaya, Kg Titi Hitam, Kg Pengkalan, Kg Jawi and Taman Perumahan Desa Jawi. – The Vibes, January 16, 2022
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