Dried out: Animals such as the lokan (mangrove clams) have died due to low water levels at the Muda and Pedu dams in Kedah. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is expected to see less rain until September, no thanks to the southwest monsoon. Additionally, seven districts throughout the country have issued a Level 1 heat alert.
According to a report compiled by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), which features weather-related data from various agencies – Rompin, Pahang, as well as Kuching, Sri Aman, Kapit, Sibu, Marudi and Telang Usan in Sarawak, all reported temperatures that were within the Level 1 alert as of July 29.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) anticipates issuing at least a Level 1 heat alert in the weeks of July 30 and Aug 5.
A Level 1 alert is issued when the temperature at a location is between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.
The raw water storage reserves at two dams, namely Muda (8.36%) in Kedah and Bukit Merah (14.86%) in Perak, had also hit dangerous levels.
Six other dams, namely Teluk Bahang (30.70%) and Air Hitam in Penang (37.30%); Malut in Kedah (38.70%); Timah Tasoh in Perlis (40.52%); Pedu (40.87%) and Beris in Kedah (56.99%) have reached warning levels.
As of July 29, there were 116 heat-related illnesses reported compared with 112 in the previous week.
There were 81 cases of heat exhaustion, 27 heatstrokes and eight heat cramps.
Terengganu reported the highest number of heat-related illnesses with 20 cases, followed by Kedah (19), Johor and Pahang (14), Perak (11), Negri Sembilan (10), Selangor (9) and Sabah (7), while Kelantan, Perlis and Kuala Lumpur reported four cases each. Penang, on the other hand, reported only one case.
As for the breakdown according to age, 90 were adults, 21 teenagers, three children and two senior citizens.
“No new deaths were reported this week,” the report said, adding that five heatstroke deaths were reported from Feb 2 and Jun 13.
The Bukit Merah and Muda dam areas have been conducting cloud seeding operations since July 29 to increase water levels for agricultural and domestic use.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, 652 hotspots for fire were identified all over the country.
