PUTRAJAYA: The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) will continue to monitor the current hot spell affecting the country to ensure that prompt actions can be taken if necessary to safeguard the welfare of the people.
Speaking to Bernama, National Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said several ministries and government agencies had been instructed to refer to the guidelines or Hot Weather Monitoring Manual developed by the ministry, and to remain vigilant in facing any eventualities.
He mentioned that NRES had the National Haze and Dry Weather Main Committee chaired by himself, and a meeting was held several weeks ago.
Among those involved were representatives from the Health Ministry, Youth and Sports Ministry, Education Ministry as well as representatives of the state government and government agencies such as the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia), the Fire and Rescue Department and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
"We reminded them to be prepared for necessary actions to be taken, for example, last year, we know there were cases of deaths due to heatstroke, so we asked them to be ready.
"The same goes for water supply when the weather is hot, so the issue of water supply management also becomes more critical. We have reminded them about all these and we have coordinated it, guidelines are in place on what needs to be done, and so on," he said.
ALSO READ: Extreme hot weather: MetMalaysia issues warning for eight locations in Peninsular Malaysia
Nik Nazmi said the National Haze and Dry Weather Main Committee held regular meetings to plan and coordinate the country's preparedness in facing hot and dry weather; El Nino phenomenon; implementation of open burning prevention measures, and preparation for the possibility of haze.
He said the current hot weather experienced in several states in the northern part of the peninsula was a recurring phenomenon that occurred every year from February to May.
"Following the strong El Nino phenomenon affecting the world currently, it is expected that the daily maximum temperature in our country may be higher in most places.
"The strength of the El Nino phenomenon is expected to diminish and become neutral by the middle of this year," he said, adding that the northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah were at risk of drought.
He said Malaysia was in the final phase of the Northeast Monsoon, expected to continue until the end of March.
ALSO READ: MetMalaysia issues Level 1 heatwave alert for 12 areas
During this period, he said cloud cover and rainfall were generally less in most places, especially in the northern areas of the peninsula, including Perak, Pahang and Kelantan, and the absence of rain for a long period could cause the weather to be hotter and drier than usual.
"In order to monitor dry and hot weather conditions, METMalaysia will undertake several measures such as monitoring daily maximum temperatures to determine the hot weather status nationwide each day; reporting the number of days without rain; releasing the Drought Monitoring Index which is updated every month. All this information can be accessed through METMalaysia's official website and social media.
"METMalaysia also provides weather briefings in District and State Disaster Committee Meetings to provide the latest information on weather to government agencies involved in disaster management," he said. - Bernama
