Kota bharu: Small-scale burning activities such as burning rubbish, leaves, and dry branches in residential yards, which are often considered trivial, can contribute to local air pollution, experts said.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Faculty of Earth Sciences lecturer Prof Dr Aweng Eh Rak explained that open burning, even on a small scale, can cause smoke to accumulate in a particular area, thereby increasing the concentration of smoke there. "Open burning does not have a chimney to channel the smoke into the air, so harmful smoke becomes concentrated in one area and its concentration is high. This is more dangerous than smoke that is released into the air through a chimney," he noted.
Aweng highlighted that during haze conditions, such as those currently affecting the country, open burning could further increase the concentration of pollutants in an area, particularly when air circulation is poor. He elaborated, "Villages usually do not have good air circulation, with airflow confined to the area. Under the current haze conditions, open burning will further increase the concentration of pollutants in the area."
The main pollutants produced by open burning include particles measuring 10 micrometres or less in diameter (PM10) and particles measuring 2.5 micrometres or less (PM2.5). Aweng suggested that organic waste such as leaves and branches should not be burned but instead can be transformed into compost, used as mulch to retain moisture in planting beds, or left to decompose naturally.
Meanwhile, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Institute for Climate Change director Prof Dr Mohd Talib Latif emphasized the need to control local pollution sources, even though a large proportion of pollutants contributing to the current haze originate from transboundary sources. He stated that an estimated 80 per cent of pollutants during haze episodes originate from peatland fires and transboundary air movement, while local sources also contribute, especially when atmospheric conditions are stable.
Mohd Talib noted that haze conditions are influenced by meteorological factors such as wind speed and direction, temperature, rainfall, and humidity, as well as geographical features of the earth's surface. Haze conditions can be forecast based on the number of hotspots and wind movement. He mentioned that the Department of Environment is constantly enhancing enforcement and conducting daily patrols in areas at risk of open burning, while also monitoring Air Pollutant Index readings regularly.
According to Mohd Talib, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, in collaboration with UKM researchers, has developed the Malaysia Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model (MyCMAQ) to help forecast air quality. He also pointed out that the use of vehicles, particularly in major cities, and energy generated from combustion sources contribute to local air pollution.