PUTRAJAYA: The government has beefed up nationwide preparedness for the north-east monsoon with enhanced coordination across agencies.
Its spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic) said the Irrigation and Drainage Department has identified 3,682 flood hotspots nationwide while the armed forces is on standby for deployment under Ops Murni.
Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, said the Minerals and Geoscience Department has identified 254 critical slopes, and that 1,768 hydrology stations, 614 flood-warning sirens and 285 pump houses have been prepared for the monsoon.
“Additional mobile pumps have been deployed and several dams have been placed on alert.
“If water levels exceed critical thresholds, intervention measures will be taken to ensure the safety of nearby residents,” he said at a post-Cabinet press conference yesterday, Bernama reported.
On communication readiness, Fahmi said upgrades have been carried out on several telecommunications towers to prevent service disruption.
“These upgrades include raising equipment located on ground level. I’ve seen the completed work in several flood-prone areas in Sabah and preparations are progressing well,” he said.
Fahmi added that temporary evacuation centres will be equipped with Starlink or WiFi to ensure evacuees have reliable Internet access.
Earlier, MetMalaysia deputy director-general (operations) Ambun Dindang said Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are expected to be hit by continuous heavy rainfall during the monsoon.
Ambun said constant monitoring is being carried out using satellite images updated every 10 minutes and 19 weather radars nationwide to detect rain cloud formation and monsoon surges.
“A monsoon surge brings strong winds from the South China Sea that accumulate moisture and result in continuous rain for one to three days. This often triggers flooding,” he said.
MetMalaysia is also monitoring low-pressure systems that may intensify rainfall, along with global phenomena such as La Nina, El Nino, Indian Ocean Dipole and Madden-Julian Oscillation.
