Hot and dry spell to end soon

PETALING JAYA: The hot and dry spell is nearing an end with the appearance of inter-monsoon rains. It is flooding, not bush fires, that the people must prepare for.

A look at the map of the Malaysia Fire Danger Rating System, under the “Fine Fuel Moisture Code” (FFMC), showed an improvement in most parts of the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak which are categorised as low (marked in blue) and moderate (green) risks.

This is an improvement compared to February when nearly all parts of the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak were in a “red” alert.

Red represents “extreme” – which indicates a very high probability of ignition and flammability of grasslands and bushes.

A check on the FFMC yesterday showed large parts of Terengganu and areas in Kelantan and Pahang marked in red but in Sabah and Sarawak, very little areas were covered in red on the map.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said the situation was improving.

“I think the dry season is nearing its end, but we remain on alert. We are preparing for the year-end flood season,” he said when contacted.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department’s website states that the FFMC values are “ratings of the moisture content of litter and other cured fine fuels”.

It indicates the relative ease of ignition and flammability of fine fuels, as such the FFMC is used as an indicator of ignition potential or the potential for fires to start and spread in the area.

The department confirmed that the severe heatwave had eased off and was unlikely to recur in the near future.

It said the country will be in the inter-monsoon phase till the middle of the month and thunderstorms were expected in many parts in the country in the evenings.

“With the weakening of the El-Nino effect, high temperatures are unlikely to occur,’’ it said.

However, the department cautioned that localised haze could worsen if there was no control over open burning.