Study: Fish die of suffocation

By Zainon Talip

MIRI: No chemicals or poisons were detected in the Bakun Catchment Area and Sungai Tatau during and after the recent floods.Assistant Minister of Environment, Dr Abdul Rauf Haji Abang Zen, said: “Investigations (in Bakun) revealed that, except for the suspended solids and turbidity, the other readings of the water at both places were normal and within class IIB of the National Water Quality Standards of Malaysia (NWQSM).”The level of total suspended solids (TSS) - the amount of tiny particles of eroded soil or small organic matters - and the turbidity were, however, found to be between six to 20 times higher than the Class IIB standard of 50ppm.

“This is clearly evidenced by the heavy accumulation of silt on the gills which suffocated and killed these fishes,” Rauf told a press conference here after attending a briefing on “Findings on the cause of death of fishes in the Bakun Catchment Area and Sungai Tatau during and after the recent floods.” Rauf explained that in the case of Sungai Tatau, the pysio-chemical parameters such as PH, temperature, salinity and turbidity readings were normal and within the class IIB standard of the NWQSM.

However, the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) was found to be lower than normal due to the heavy decomposition of vegetative materials submerged during the flood, compounded by the slow flowing water when the water level subsided after the flood.“I would like to urge all parties to contact NREB should you need further clarification or further information, particularly on its functional jurisdictions and what it had done and planned to do to safeguard our environment before giving out any statements in the press,” he said.Also present at the press conference was Sarawak Assistant Controller from Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), Paul Ponar Sinjeng.

Hazy conditionIn an interview after the press conference, Rauf said that although some areas in the State had been hazy in the past few days, the State Government was not pressing the panic button as yet because the Air Pollution Index (API) was still at the ‘healthy level’.He also said that no ban had been imposed on open burning of commercial land for farming purposes.“The haze condition has not reached a dangerous level yet. In fact, the API is still at the healthy level although it is a bit hazy in some parts of the State due to transboundary haze from Indonesia. “For Miri, the hazy condition is due to local hot spots, but with the current wet season, it will not pose any health hazard to the people,” he said.

“The State Government still allows plantations in the State to practise open burning as oppose to Peninsular Malaysia. However, the situation will be closely monitored, and when the need arises, we will impose a ban on open burning,” he added.He, nevertheless, stressed that plantation owners who intended to conduct open burning in areas spanning 50 hectares and above would need to apply for permits. Offenders will be charged under the Environmental Quality Act, which carries a fine of up to RM500,000 or a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, or both upon conviction.