The human factor has been blamed for the forest fires in two areas in Selangor in June.  

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Othman Abdullah said this was discovered after an investigation by JBPM following the two fires beside the North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite) close to the exit to the KL International Airport and Taman Johan Setia in Klang.  

“In the fire close to the Elite Expressway, we found that certain irresponsible people had burned tyres in the nearby undergrowth and set off the fire which burned for more than a week,” he told Bernama.  

The fire in Taman Johan Setia was caused by a group of farmers who took the easy way out to clear their land by burning the undergrowth.

He said the parties concerned were selfish and had resorted to open burning although the country was badly hit by haze at that time.

“To make matters worse, the fires occurred in areas of peat soil which is highly combustible,” he said.  

State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairperson Elizabeth Wong said that in June, the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE) opened 12 investigation papers on open burning.

She said the Selangor DoE was investigating the cases and the Klang Land Office was also in the process of identifying the owners of the land.

Wong said the 12 landowners would be charged under the Environment Quality Act which carried a penalty of up to RM500,000 or five years jail upon conviction.

- Bernama