KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing heatwave in Malaysia has seen one death and 27 heat-related illnesses, according to the country's national disaster management agency (NADMA).
The illnesses include nine cases of heat stroke and 18 cases of heat exhaustion. One death was recorded in Pahang state due to heatstroke, Bernama reported late on Friday.
On dam water levels, NADMA said that as of Wednesday, two dams showed a decrease in raw water storage reserves and were at critical levels in Johor state and Penang state.
Meanwhile, it said the fire and rescue department will focus on more than 652 hotspot areas across the country.
"Selangor, Johor, and Sarawak are among the states with the highest recorded incidents involving recurring incidents of fires in the categories of bushes, plantations, forests and waste disposal," it said.
The meteorological department expects dry and hot weather with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius to persist in most places in Peninsular Malaysia and the northern Borneo state of Sabah over the coming week.
