SIM BAK HENG New Straits Times 30 Oct 15;
KUALA TERENGGANU: Pahang is expected to receive the highest rainfall this monsoon season, followed by Terengganu and Kelantan.
Meteorological Department’s director general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail said heavy rainfall forecast was expected to hit the country from as early as next week.
This would consequently bring flood to the east coast from November to January, followed by Sabah and Sarawak in January and February.
“There will be four episodes of heavy rains this monsoon season, each ranging from three to five days,” she said, adding that each episode would bring floods, especially during high tide.
Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin will receive the most rainfall, with precipitation level ranging between 780mm and 920mm in December.
Heavy rainfall is expected to hit Terengganu next month, with precipitation level expected to be between 560mm and 850mm in November. However, the volume would drop to between 430mm and 650mm in December, and between 80mm and 110mm in January.
Gayah said next month would be a wet month for Kelantan, with Tumpat, Bachok, Kota Baru, Pasir Putih and Machang expected to be hit with heavy rain, with precipitation levels ranging from 530mm to 790mm.
The precipitation level would see an improvement in the following months, from between 450mm and 670mm in December, and between 80mm and 110mm in January.
Rainfall volume in other parts of the state was expected to be normal, said Gayah.
She advised those living in coastal and low-lying areas in the interior to take precautionary measures in preparation for the monsoon season.
Gayah also said the El Nino weather phenomenon might cushion the impact of this year’s monsoon season.
The start of the monsoon season, she said, could bring an end to the transboundary haze.
“The change in the wind direction will push away the haze from reaching our shores.”
Monsoon season is putting fishermen out of work
SHARANPAL SINGH RANDHAWA The Star 31 Oct 15;
KUALA TERENGGANU: The monsoon season, marked by continuous rain and thunderstorms, has kept thousands of coastal fishermen idle due to weather warnings and rough sea conditions.
North Kuala Terengganu Fishermen Association chairman Jaafar @ A. Rahman Abu Bakar said fishermen were not able to go to sea since the start of the monsoon season because the waves were big and dangerous.
“The monsoon season is already here with heavy rain and thunderstorms. It will be too dangerous for the fishermen to go to sea.
“Most of the coastal fishermen’s boats are not equipped with compass or navigation systems to guide them home.
“To avoid any untoward incident, they will spend this time mending their nets, fixing and oiling their boats, repairing their homes and tending to jobs they often ignore during the other months,” he said.
Out of work: A fisherman walking between rows of boats anchored at the fisherman’s jetty in Cendering during heavy rain.
Out of work: A fisherman walking between rows of boats anchored at the fisherman's jetty in Cendering during heavy rain.
There are about 1,000 fishing boats belonging to coastal fishermen in North Kuala Terengganu, while there are a total of more than 10,000 fishermen in the state, with 8,000 registered with the state Fisheries Department.
The state is currently experiencing continuous rain and thunderstorms, with the Meteorology Department warning of strong winds of up to 50kph and waves as high as 3.5m.
The weather is not much different in South Kuala Terengganu.
According to its fishermen’s association chairman, Hasan Ismail, some 1,200 coastal fishermen had stopped going to sea as the weather has turned for the worse.
