| Syazwani Hj Rosli |
BRUNEI Darussalam is currently entering the dry season with the beginning of the second phase of the Northeast monsoon according to the Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department.
February and March are categorised as the two of the driest months with only 157mm rainfall in February and only 130mm in March based on the Normal Average Rainfall for Brunei Darussalam.
These were highlighted by the Acting Director of the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) Lim Hock Guan during a dialogue session with members of the media yesterday at the Conference Room of FRD’s Headquarters Multipurpose Hall at the Old Airport Berakas.
The dialogue session emphasised on the impacts of the Northeast monsoon season including decrease in rainfalls, fog and mist formation in the morning that can reduce visibility, temperature rising to over 34 degrees and dry conditions that increase the risk of forest fire and haze.
According to statistics, there were 926 emergency calls made to FRD and a total of 919.83 hectares of bush and forest were damaged by fire last year. This was a sharp increase as compared to 445 calls and 259.126 hectares damaged in 2017.
Members of the public are reminded to refrain from open burning, careless disposal of cigarette butts and leaving unattended campfires at forests, beaches or picnic spots.
Reckless burning is an offence under the Fire Safety Order 2016 (FSO 2016) Section 2 (1) as it is a risk to life and property. Under Part II Abatement of Fire Hazard No 16, the Director can issue a notice to any individual committing the offence and impose a compound fine of at least BND1,000 to suspected offenders. Or they can be issued with General Penalties, whereby if they are convicted; the penalty will be a fine not exceeding BND10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. If the offence is repeated, the penalty will be a fine as much as BND1,000 per day or part of the amount if the offence continues even after receiving a warning.
The FRD through its branches and fire stations throughout the country will be carrying out patrols to monitor and take immediate action.
The public can cooperate by reporting to the FRD when seeing plumes of smoke caused by bush or forest fire or any emergency by calling 995. Residents seeking to file complaints of open burning can contact the Darussalam line at 123.
The dialogue session also saw the Acting Director of FRD along with several public relation officers taking the opportunity to discuss with the media on how to enhance communication and boost the efficiency of information dissemination to the local community.