BUTTERWORTH: About 120,000ha of padi fields – twice the size of Singapore – in Perlis, Kedah and Penang are about to be set ablaze.
No, there’s no glut or disease causing the destruction. The fields are now turning golden yellow and harvesting has begun. The burning, after harvesting, will be a regulated activity.
Penang Department of Environment (DOE) director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said the burning of harvested padi fields was one of the very few open burning activities allowed by law.
The post-harvest burning of padi straws left on the fields returns potassium – a crucial nutrient for padi – to the fields. It also destroys pests that were there during the previous planting season, removing the need for excessive use of pesticides later.
“The padi fields must be dried for at least seven days and the fire is only started during dry weather between 1pm and 5pm,” said Sharifah Zakiah.
“The activity has to be closely monitored and controlled. Warning must be given to road users if the burning is to be carried out near any road.
The risk of the fire spreading out of control – even causing smoke to blow onto highways and disrupting traffic – used to be a major concern until the DOE regulated and coordinated the burning days.
“The burning must not cause a nuisance to nearby residents or interfere with normal visibility.
“Finally, the nearest police station has to be informed prior to the burning,” she said yesterday.
“Under Section 29AA of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, the burning of padi fields before replanting is allowed under the strict conditions of the Environmental Quality (Declared Activities) (Open Burning) Order 2003.
For nearly all other open burning, however, you can be fined up to RM500,000 or imprisoned for up to five years, or both, under Section 29 (A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974. The bad news is that in Penang, the department has seen increasing cases of open burning between 2019 and 2021.
“For three consecutive years, we recorded increases in the number of reports on open burning.
“In 2019, there were 423 reports, of which 351 came from garbage burning, while six were from the burning of waste in orchards.
“In 2020, we received 646 reports, of which 550 were garbage and 68 were at orchards. We received 710 reports of open burning last year, 568 of which were garbage and 75 at orchards,” she said.
Sharifah said in those three years, only 17 reports were received on padi field burning. The public can report open burning instances to DOE’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727 or via e-complaint at eaduan@doe.gov.my.
