BANTING, 16 Oct: The haze due to the fire at the Kuala Langat Reserve Forest every year affects the lives of the people, especially the residents of Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kapas.

There is not just dust and thick smoke, but the health level and their safety are also affected each time there is an open burning.

This was the woes by the residents when Selangor Kini surveyed the village; the nearest settlement to the location of the fire.

“My family members often cough, are down with flu and have breathing problems due to the thick smoke and dust. The adults and senior citizens also cannot bear it. They often suffer from headaches and cough, what more my young child who always has the flu and sometimes has breathing problems,” said Nur Khalijah Abdullah, 42.

“Each time there is the haze, plucking oil palm and farming needs to be cancelled. This does not only affect our health, but my source of income is also affected,” said Mat Usman, 30.

“I work in Putrajaya. Every time there is the haze, I have to be more careful and turn on my vehicle’s lights even during the day. Limited sight can cause accidents because the main road in the village is narrow and winding,” said Siti Nuraida Abdullah, 44.

One October 10, the Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali, also visited the site of the fire.

Mohamed Azmin said that the peat soil has a huge potential to be the cause of fires and is hard to detect because it starts underground.

He said that continuous monitoring needs to be enhanced to avoid peat fires in the forest from repeating, causing serious air pollution.

Throughout this year, three fires have been recorded at the Kuala Langat Reserve Forest around February, June and August.

The fire in February was recorded as the worst this year with an area covering 294 acres which cost RM210,547.53.

NS