Baling: The thick layer of waste at the illegal landfill in Kampung Besah, Mukim Tawar near here is making firefighting efforts difficult. Kedah Department of Environment (DOE) director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said the landfill, which is believed to have been operating for the past three years, had been dredged before the waste was dumped there.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the exact time the fire broke out could not be confirmed as the call to 999 was also made late. After 31 hours, the fire has still not been extinguished, and the pile of waste is very thick, indicating that this area is believed to have been dredged. In a statement today, Sharifah Zakiah mentioned that the landowner had been asked to help provide equipment such as machinery to assist in extinguishing the fire.

The landowner was also asked to obtain earth for firefighting purposes since the use of water was seen to be less effective. DOE planned to obtain CEREX air quality monitoring equipment and install it in sensitive locations nearby, such as schools, to monitor the impact of the fire.

She added that extinguishing work is expected to resume tomorrow. The media previously reported that the illegally operating landfill site had started burning since yesterday. Kedah DOE, in a separate statement today, announced that an investigation was being conducted under Section 29A (2) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.