In order to assume social responsibility, he advised timber processing factories and sawmills to cease indiscriminate burning of wood wastes that consequently caused the release of thick smoke as well as huge quantity of pollutants into the air.

He said, the factory and sawmills owners must also find ways and to upgrade the technology so that the facilities would be more environment-friendly.

"They should also set a deadline to install Department of Environment (DOE) compliant equipment within a specified period," Tiong added.

There were more than 20 timber-processing factories and sawmills in the Kemena Industrial Estate and Jepak Industrial Estate as well as those located in Sebauh-Pandan areas, which have been indiscriminately burning wood wastes and causing serious pollution.

"Almost daily, these factories emit thick smoke, as a result of the indiscriminate burning from their incinerators or open burning, " he disclosed.

Consequently, huge quantity of fine particles were released and dispered into the air, causing discomfort and illnesses to the residents in these areas, he said.

He revealed that there hadf been reports of residents facing breathing and other related respiratory problems caused by air and dust pollution, which had been prevalent in families whose houses located near the sawmills or timber-processing factories.

"I have received numerous complaints and unconfirmed reports that residents especially the young ones and infants having breathing problems such as asthmatic and bronchities over the last few years, " Tiong said.

"The owners of these facilities should be more responsible over what they have done to the people living in these areas," he said, adding that in developed countries, these flouters of the law could be sued million of dollars for causing public health hazards.

He stressed, similar legal discourse could be taken against the flouters but it was best that these timber-processing factories and sawmills realized that it was wrong, legally and morally, to cause public health hazards to the people.

He added that by upgrading the technology especially in acquiring environment-friendly equipment that could significantlly reduce dispersion of fine pollutants and attain complete comburstion without causing health hazards to both residents and workers of the factories.

Meanwhile, he also noted that among the most polluted areas in Bintulu were within the 10 kilometre radius of Kemena and Jepak industrial estates where there are thousands of villages living along the coastal areas of Kampung Jepak, Kampung Baru, Kampung Segan, Kampung Masjid and Kampung Sinong.

Similarly, he said villages in the surrounding areas of Sebauh-Pandan road are also affected by serious air pollution.  The residents here have alleged that there has been continuous massive open burning carried out especially by sawmills, he said.

Tiong said over the years, the DOE and other related authorities had been enforcing environmental laws by taking action against these factories, which had been resorted to indiscriminate burning of wood wastes through poor
constructed, substandard and inefficient incinerators.

He said DOE was empowered to take sterner action including closing down the facilities.

Before the government take drastic action against these factories and sawmills, which have been flouting the environmental regulations, it is best that owners take necessary steps to upgrade their facilities, he urged.

Tiong also urged the ministry of Science, Technology and Environment especially the DOE and other government agencies to jointly carry out
operation regularly and enforce the laws to make sure that these factories and sawmills toed the line accordingly...END WITH NO PHOTO.