Sarawak activates drought ops centres statewide as heatwave looms

Blazing midday heat from the sky with little cloud in Miri as State Disaster Relief Committee orders activation of drought crisis operations centre in Sarawak. -Photo by Stephen Then

MIRI: Sarawak has activated its divisional drought crisis operation centres statewide on Friday (July 27).

The State Disaster Relief Committee headquarters in Kuching issued the directive, which was signed by head of the secretariat Major (Rtd) Ismail Mahedin.

The directive has been distributed to all relevant government agencies and departments involved in disaster mitigation and management in the state including the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department.

Miri Fire Chief Supt Law Poh Kiong confirmed that his office in Miri received the directive at noon.

In the written directive, Major Ismail said the committee expressed concern over the prevailing hot and dry weather in the state.

"The directive on the activation of the drought-crisis ops centre in the divisions in the state is with immediate effective," he added.

The order to activate the ops centres is to enable all the divisional disaster relief ops room to liase with the central ops centre in state capital Kuching to prepare for water shortages.

The Sarawak Disaster Relief Committee which handles all forms of natural disasters including floods and drought will be coordinating relief efforts between the central and divisional operation centres to monitor and assist areas hit by water shortages.

In many parts of Sarawak, including Miri, midday temperatures have risen to as high as 35 degree Celsius.