KOTA KINABALU: Cloud seeding should be done immediately amid the scorching heat, which has led to gravity water feeds drying up and fears of reservoirs being depleted, says an assemblyman.
Kuamut rep Datuk Masiung Banah said the dry spell had started to affect existing natural water supplies and there were fears that with the absence of rain, the state’s water dam reserves could dry up in three months.
“There is a need for the Federal Government to take immediate measures to carry out cloud seeding in Sabah,” he said yesterday.
Masiung, who is also Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice-president, urged the state government to immediately submit an application to the National Disaster Management Agency to carry out cloud seeding in critical areas.
Successful cloud seeding, he added, could help avoid water rationing and inconveniencing Muslims observing Ramadan from the second week of March.
Measures should also be put in place in schools for the safety of students, who would begin their new term next week, he also said.
Meteorologists, said Masiung, were forecasting that the dry and hot conditions in Sabah would continue until the end of May.
“The dry spell is becoming serious and the government needs to take drastic measures to speed up cloud seeding,” he said.
The Sabah Water Department, said Masiung, had reported that the water reservoirs could only supply water for three months to meet the needs of consumers.
River water levels had also dropped significantly since the hot spell began about a month ago.
“The hot and dry spell has destroyed crops and livestock, and it has also begun to affect the water supply of people in rural areas,” he said.
Last week, some 200 villagers in the Kiulu sub-district on the foothills of Mount Kinabalu reported that their gravity water feed supply had dried out.
