PUTRAJAYA, Sept 20 — A 24-hour fire-dousing operation is underway over 80 hectares of land still on fire in Sri Aman, out of an original 200 hectares previously ablaze, said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in a statement today.

Begun yesterday, the operation that is being led by the Fire and Service Department (JBPM), involves a total of 37 fire fighters including 14 members of the Civil Defence Force.

The 200 hectares comprise parcels of land located in different areas, comprising 50 hectares on the STC plantation situated near Sri Aman town, 75 hectares in Kelauh, and another 75 hectares in Kejatau-Lingga.

The ongoing operation which is focused on the STC area as it is near populated areas, involves the establishment of fire breaks and the deepening of drains and waterways to hold more water that is needed to put out the fires, said Nadma, referencing latest updates from JBPM.

Apart from excavators, other equipment being used in the operation includes two ‘prime movers’ and two ‘fire rescue tenders’ provided by the Irrigation and Drainage Department in Sri Aman, for the purposes of extracting water from the Kejatau river.

According to Air Pollutant Index (API) readings released by the Department of Environment, the API for Sri Aman at 6pm this evening, stood at 406, compared to 301 recorded at 6am.

The API comprises the following categories: good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (301 onwards). — Bernama