MIRI: A Bombardier aircraft from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) will also be deployed to carry out water bombing operations to combat peat fires here this Wednesday.
Minister-in-charge of the Miri Disaster Management Committee (MDMC), Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin, who announced this, said water bombing involves dropping large amounts of water from aircraft onto the affected areas.
Currently, the Mi-17 Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) helicopter has been deployed to carry out water bombing at the affected area.
The Bomba team dropped 1,600 litres of water at the affected areas as of 2.30pm Tuesday.
Lee in a statement today added that the Bombardier is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon to fight the fire in areas inaccessible by land.
“Bomba Sarawak director Datuk Khiruddin Drahman has confirmed the asset deployment,” he said.
Lee disclosed that chairman of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) , Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, will be conducting a working visit to personally inspect the areas affected by peat fires, this Thursday (March 28).
Lee sought the cooperation of the public to immediately report peat fires to the fire department at 085-420991 or 085-422973 , 019-2452642 at 085-646644.
“They also can report to the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) at 085-437488 and Department of Environment (DOE) at 085-426994 or the police if they come across people carrying out open burning or those carrying out illegal burning on state land for farming,” he said.
