A cloud seeding team from MetMalaysia assisted by air force personnel preparing for an operation at Pengkalan TUDM Subang. — Filepic
CONTINUOUS monitoring of dam levels, overseeing peatland forests for possible fires and conducting cloud seeding operations are among measures the Selangor government is undertaking to deal with the hot and dry weather.
“The state government is also working closely with the Malaysia Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) to implement systematic monitoring and detailed forecasting,” said Selangor public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin.”
“It includes regularly monitoring weather changes and disseminating information to the state and district disaster management committees, assisting in the planning and implementation of cloud seeding operations as well as conducting public awareness campaigns regarding the risks of hot weather to the health and well-being of the community.”
She said this when answering an oral question by Lim Yi Wei (PH-Kampung Tunku) on mitigation efforts by the state government following the more frequent high-alert hot weather warnings from MetMalaysia.
“The present hot and dry weather is due to the southwest monsoon season that began on May 10 and is expected to continue until September,” said Jamaliah.
“However, according to a presentation by the National Climate Centre on May 22, the monsoon’s impact on Selangor is currently still under control, with humidity and rainfall expected to be within the average range.”
To a supplementary question by Rosnizan Ahmad (PN-Morib) on the possible effects of cloud seeding on humans, Jamaliah said none of the briefings (by MetMalaysia) had to date mentioned any noticeable impact on people.
“Cloud seeding is not something that is done at will, but is carried out based on monitoring of the hot weather situation.
“It will only be considered upon reaching a very extreme heatwave level and through agreement at inter-agency meetings,” she said during the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor, Shah Alam.
To another supplementary question by Lim on whether the state government was tracking diseases related to the hot spell such as dengue, Jamaliah said meetings were held at district and state levels to monitor the situation.
“While meetings on dengue are held at the state level once or twice a year, they are conducted on a more regular basis by district health offices.
“Selangor also recently recorded a drop in dengue cases.
“My office and the Selangor Health Department will continue monitoring the matter.”
