A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be implemented to prevent the annual haze problem in Miri City.

Sarawak's Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the SOP was the first in the country involving government and private sectors to prevent open burning at the Kuala Baram peatland area near the Sarawak-Brunei border that has been a major cause of haze.

"The SOP is the first of its kind in Malaysia to address haze issues from local sources," he said before signing a Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) on the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for peat fire prevention and suppression for Kuala Baram peatland today.

The Mou was signed between Natural Resources Environment Board (NREB), a state-owned environmental protection agency and Naim Holdings Berhad, Shin Yang Forestry Sdn Bhd, Pantai Bayu Indah Sdn Bhd and Woodman Sdn Bhd.

Awang Tengah said based on the NREB record, a total of 4,481 hectares of peatland within the Kuala Baram area was burned since 2009.

"Early this year, 1,773 hectares of peatland in Kuala Baram were burned in yet to be developed areas or land banks that belonged to the landowners," he said.

He said due to widespread open burning the government had from Feb 23 to 27, deployed a bombardier aircraft to assist in water bombing.

The operation, he said, had cost RM843,200 for 222 trips or 38.3 flying hours and utilised about 1.3 million litres of water.

NREB controller Peter Sawal who also spoke before the MoU signing said besides the Fire and Rescue Department and firefighting team owned by landowners, the government had sought assistance from the army.

"The state secretary's office has written to the Army seeking their assistance in mobilising their personnel," he added.

- Bernama