Dry spell may last until May
Florence A. Samy, The Star 18 May 10;
PETALING JAYA: The current weather that has caused rivers and canals in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah to dry up is expected to continue until May, according to the weatherman.
This is because the El Nino phenomenon, which brings about drier than normal weather, is expected to last until then.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department said rain was not expected to fall in Perlis, Penang, Kelantan and Terengganu as well as Sabah over the next week.
In Sabah, the department said Kudat, Sandakan and Tawau divisions were under drought alert.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had earlier announced that the state might have to carry out water rationing because of dwindling water levels at dams.
Water rationing is already under way in some areas in Negri Sembilan and Johor.
According to the Drainage and Irrigation Department’s (DID) website, three dams are at the alert level.
The Bekok dam in Johor is almost dried up, reportedly having only 0.96% of water storage left. Low water storage volumes were also recorded at Johor’s Machap dam (23.43%) and the Klang Gates dam (47.89%).
DID, however, does not monitor dams in Sabah or Sarawak.
The website also reported dangerously low water levels at several rivers in Perlis, Johor, Kedah and Pahang.
According to the Meteorological Department, the weather in February and March were generally hotter and drier in the northern states of the peninsula and Sabah compared with other months.
“The primary causes of this are the position of the sun, which is directly over the Equator, and low cloud cover.
“The situation has become more severe because of the moderate El Nino phenomenon, which is expected to continue until May.
“The people are advised to conserve water and not carry out open burning,” it said in a statement.
The Meteorological Department said that for the first 10 days of March, 29 out of 34 main meteorological stations recorded zero to 48mm of rain, which was between 0% and 66.3% of the average amount.
It added that rainfall was expected to increase from this week over the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with the amount returning to normal from next month.
The department’s Fire Rating System showed that there was a “very high probability” of fires starting in Sabah and the northern part of the peninsula.
The Fire and Rescue Department operations centre yesterday said 81 forest, peat and bush fires were recorded on Tuesday.
In Johor alone, fire-fighters were working round the clock to put out the remaining 147.5ha of the 305ha of land that was on fire.
“There have been a lot of forest, bush, peat and lallang fires of late.
“Some fires in Johor take time to put out as they involve forest reserves which are difficult to access,” an officer said yesterday.
He added that the lack of water sources had also hampered operations.
The Star 18 Mar 10;
PETALING JAYA: Dams, rivers and canals are drying up in Johor and the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sabah due to the El Nino phenomenon which brings about less rainfall than usual.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the situation is expected to last until next month for the peninsula while Sabah is expected to experience dry weather till May.
Among the worrying developments:
> No rain is expected to fall in Perlis, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Sabah over the next week.
> Kudat, Sandakan and Tawau divisions in Sabah placed under drought alert; water rationing expected to start at any time.
> The department’s Fire Rating System showed a very high probability of fires starting in Sabah and the northern part of the peninsula.
Sabah folk feeling the heat
Ruben Sario, The Star 18 Mar 10;
KOTA KINABALU: Rural communities here have seen their crops wither and are being forced to do their household washing and bathing in rivers that are off-limits for conservation purposes, following the two-month dry spell.
The taps have run dry in villages such as Kampung Babagon in the Penampang district, where water is channelled from hillside streams through a gravity-feed system.
Farmers at the village can only watch helplessly as their crops, such as the renowned honey pineapples and bananas, wither under the relentless sun.
“There is no water in the taps until about 1am, so we have to wait till then to collect water for our cooking and drinking,” said villager Russel Raphael, 22.
For washing and bathing, his family and other residents head to the nearby river where the water, usually about 1m deep, is now only up to ankle height in most places.
“We are not supposed to be washing and bathing here because this is part of the tagal (river conservation) system. But where else can we wash?” asked Russel.
Under the system, villagers are supposed to preserve the river by not fishing or carrying out activities that can harm the waterway or marine life.
Meanwhile, in the interior Nabawan district, schools such as Sekolah Kebangsaan Tatagas have not had piped water for nearly a month.
Nabawan People’s Development Leader Jubilin Kilan said the water from Sungai Panawan was just enough for the town area and government quarters.
He said families in outlying areas had been receiving water from Public Works Department tankers but the supply lasted each family just three days.
“The situation will be critical if there is no rain in the next few weeks,” Jubilin added.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman ordered rationing in areas facing acute water shortage, amid the dry spell that was expected to persist until April.
