PUTRAJAYA: The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) will continue to monitor the current heat spell in the country to ensure that prompt action is taken if necessary to protect people’s well-being.
Speaking to Bernama, National Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad stated that several ministries and government agencies had been instructed to refer to the ministry’s guidelines or Hot Weather Monitoring Manual and to be prepared for any eventuality.
He said that NRES has its National Haze and Dry Weather Main Committee chaired by himself and that a meeting had taken place many weeks before.
Representatives from the Health Ministry, Youth and Sports Ministry, Education Ministry, as well as state government and government agencies such as the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia), the Fire and Rescue Department, and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) were present.
“We reminded them to be ready for any necessary actions to be done. For example, we knew there were examples of heatstroke deaths last year, so we encouraged them to be prepared.
“The same is true for water supply when the weather is hot, making water supply management an even more crucial concern. We’ve reminded them of all of this, and we’ve organised everything; instructions for what needs to be done, and so on,” he said.
According to Nik Nazmi, the National Haze and Dry Weather Main Committee met on a regular basis to plan and coordinate the country’s preparedness for hot and dry weather, the El Nino phenomena, the implementation of open burning prevention measures, and the likelihood of haze.
He stated that the current hot weather in numerous states in the northern section of the peninsula is a periodic occurrence that occurs every year between February and May.
“Following the powerful El Nino phenomenon that is presently sweeping the planet, it is projected that the daily maximum temperature in most parts of our country will rise.
“The strength of the El Nino phenomenon is expected to diminish and become neutral by the middle of this year,” he said, adding that the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah were under threat of drought.
He stated that Malaysia was in the penultimate part of the Northeast Monsoon, which is projected to last until the end of March.
During this time, he stated that cloud cover and rainfall were generally lower in most regions, particularly in the northern areas of the peninsula, including Perak, Pahang, and Kelantan, and that the lack of rain for an extended period might lead the weather to be hotter and drier than normal.
“In order to monitor dry and hot weather conditions, METMalaysia will take several measures, including monitoring daily maximum temperatures to determine the hot weather status nationwide each day; reporting the number of days without rain; and releasing the Drought Monitoring Index, which is updated monthly. All of this information may be found on METMalaysia’s official website and social media.
“METMalaysia also provides weather briefings in District and State Disaster Committee Meetings to provide the latest information on weather to government agencies involved in disaster management,” he went on to say. – Bernama
