Fire razes almost 80 hectares of Kuala Langat forest reserve

Illegal farming activities in the north of Kuala Langat has caused a fire in the forest reserve, which has now spread to close to 80 hectares.

The fire, which was reported on Friday, had razed about 50 hectares of the forest yesterday but quickly spread to another 30 hectares today.

It was caused by illegal farming activities, according to the state Environment, Green Technology, Science, and Consumer Affairs Committee chairperson Hee Loy Sian.

"We suspect that vegetable farmers had trespassed the forest reserve and cleared some area by burning for farming activities," Hee told reporters in a media conference in Kuala Langat.

Hee said that illegal farming is a perennial issue in the north of Kuala Langat and admitted that there is a weakness in the enforcement.

Many of the farmers employed immigrants, some were undocumented, to work in the farms, he said.

The state forest department is aware of the issue and has decided to open up some areas of the forest reserve to allow farmers to grow vegetables there legally and to monitor them.

"There are more than 300 illegal farmers. We have so far received more than 400 applications," he said.

A long battle ahead

Firefighters were having difficulty containing the fire as there is no road to access the affected area but Hee said that four excavators were being used to make a pathway.

Hee said a bombardier aircraft will be deployed in the operation by tomorrow to suppress the fire, but even with a bombardier, the operation will take about seven to 10 days.

Without the bombardier, which they will get from the Maritime Enforcement Agency, it will take up to four weeks to contain the fire, he added. - Mkini