Global Courant
PETALING JAYA – Malaysia will set up a “war room” to closely monitor water levels from dams across the country in anticipation of a strong El Nino phenomenon expected to take place this month.
Charles Santiago, chairman of the National Water Services Commission (Span), said the purpose of the war room was to allow people to monitor water levels at the dams in their part of the country 24 hours a day.
“It will be updated daily and the public can send in questions and call if they have any questions,” he said yesterday.
He said Span will hold a soft launch of the war room tomorrow, while the official launch will be on June 14.
Malaysia has entered the dry season associated with the southwest monsoon and the dry season is expected to continue until October, according to the Asean Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC).
This year’s scorching temperatures can be attributed to a combination of issues, including less rainfall last winter and El Nino, a weather pattern that typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the region.
The ASMC also said that the southern ASEAN region is expected to have higher haze risks during the month of June to October this year.
“The next few months will be miserable if we don’t take the necessary precautions,” Santiago added.
Meanwhile, a total of 14 districts in Peninsular Malaysia have been issued a Level 1 heat wave warning by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
According to the Heat Wave Status page on MetMalaysia’s website, the 14 districts are Batang Padang in Perak, Kuala Selangor in Selangor, Jempol in Negri Sembilan, Pahang districts Bentong, Jerantut, Kuantan, Raub, Temerloh, Lipis and Bera, Kelantan- districts of Kuala Krai and Pasir Mas in Kelantan as well as Kinabatangan and Beaufort in Sabah.
According to MetMalaysia, a Level One alert is issued when the temperature at a location is between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.
An orange alert, or level two heat wave alert, is issued when the temperature is between 37°C and 40°C for three consecutive days, while the red alert or extreme heat wave alert occurs when the temperature is above 40°C for three consecutive days .
MetMalaysia also reported that other areas on the peninsula, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, recorded daily maximum temperatures of below 35 degrees Celsius. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
