ROSLI ZAKARIA AND OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 26 May 19;
KUALA LUMPUR: AFTER weeks of prolonged hot and dry weather, rain finally brought relief to residents of the Klang Valley, Terengganu and Sabah yesterday.
The hour-long downpour, however, caused flash floods in some parts of the city here.
In Kampung Datuk Keramat, firemen had to rescue a 15-year-old disabled person and a 4-month-old baby trapped in floodwaters.
The Fire and Rescue Department said several cars were stranded in the flood.
Keramat Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Suhaimi Abdul Shukor said floodwaters in Kampung Datuk Keramat were 3m deep.
The rain also led to several felled trees in the city’s main arteries, such as Jalan Ampang and Jalan Genting Klang.
In Kuala Terengganu, early morning rain brought respite to the otherwise hot weather with continuous light drizzle until afternoon as dark clouds from the South China Sea moved inland.
Six districts — Besut, Setiu, Hulu Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus and Marang — received much-awaited rainfall, with Besut and Setiu experiencing more than a half hour of rain.
Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, 65, of Kampung Pelong in Setiu, said the rain was a godsend as the dry spell had affected many people, especially farmers.
“The prolonged dry spell is starting to worry farmers in the village. Setiu experienced 31 days without rain and is the second hottest district after Gerik in Perak, which had been without rain for 56 days.”
Despite the hot spell, the water level in Tasik Kenyir remained almost unchanged, measuring at 140.48m on Sunday compared with the reading three weeks ago at 140.99m.
The lake’s lowest level is 136m but it had not dropped to that level since it opened in 1986.
Syarikat Air Terengganu chief executive officer Atemin Sulong said household water consumption in the state had increased from 1,200 litres a day to 1,500 litres a day during the dry spell.
He said the situation in the state was under control, although the increase in consumption had caused low water pressure in some areas.
“The increase in consumption was also attributed to farmers who needed to irrigate their fields and nurseries that required watering of their plants,” he added.
In Kota Kinabalu, Sabahans can look forward to more rainfall as the monsoon transition has begun.
State Meteorological Department director Ambun Dindang said the transition, which began on March 19, would bring more rain in the state.
“Many places in Sabah have received rainfall between March 20 and 23,” he said, adding that its meteorological station in Tawau showed that scattered rainfall was recorded in the district.
Ambun said the state, however, was experiencing the dry season due to a lack of rainfall.
The Sabah Infrastructure Development Ministry had, on Sunday, said six dams were at critical level. The dams, in Tawau and Semporna, had insufficient water to meet supply.
Its minister, Datuk Peter Anthony, gave his assurance that water tankers would be deployed if the situation persists, and cloud seeding would be considered.
It was reported that in Kota Belud, more than 1,000ha of padi fields had been affected by the month-long dry spell.
Rain finally arrives in Terengganu
ROSLI ZAKARIA New Straits Times 25 Mar 19;
KUALA TERENGGANU: Early morning rain brought respite to the people here from the hot weather. There was a continuous light drizzle until afternoon and an expected heavy downpour later in the evening as dark clouds from the South China Sea move inland.
A check this morning revealed six districts namely Besut, Setiu, Hulu Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus and Marang getting some rainfall with Besut and Setiu experiencing more than half an hour of rain.
Jackfruit orchard owner Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, 65, of Kampung Pelong in Setiu, said the rain arrived late but it felt like a God-sent as the drought had affected everyone, especially farmers who had to source their water supply from nearby rivers to irrigate vegetable fields.
“The rain will induce trees to flower. A few more days of rain will be good for the fruiting trees, especially durians, jackfruit, duku and dokong. We are not expecting a bumper harvest this year but we will at least have some fruits available.
“The prolonged dry spell is starting to worry the farmers in the village. In fact, Setiu experienced 31 days without rain and is the second hottest district after Gerik in Perak which had been without rain for 56 days.
“Apart from disrupting the fruit season, the drought also led to wintering of rubber trees which caused the leaves to fall and produce less latex,” said the former village head of Kampung Pelong.
Despite the hot spell, the water level in Tasik Kenyir almost remained unchanged with the level recorded yesterday standing at 140.48 metres compared with the reading three weeks ago at 140.99 metres. The lake’s lowest level is 136 metres but it had not dropped to that level since it opened in 1986.
Meanwhile, Syarikat Air Terengganu (Satu) chief executive officer, Ir Atemin Sulong said household water consumption in the state had increase from 1,200 litres a day to 1,500 litres a day during the drought.
He said the said the situation was still under control throughout Terengganu although the increase in consumption had caused low water pressure in some areas.
“The increase in consumption was also attributed to farmers who needed to irrigate their fields and nurseries who must water their plants,” he added.
Monsoon transition in Sabah sees rainfall
Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 25 Mar 19;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is expected to have more rain in the coming days as the monsoon transition in the state has begun, said State Meteorological department director Ambun Dindang.
“The transition, which began on March 19, will bring more rain in the state.
“Over the past few days, there had been many places in Sabah which received rainfall between March 20 and 23,” he said.
Ambun said despite the start of rainfall, the state was still experiencing dry weather but it did not amount to a heat wave.
On Sunday, Sabah Infrastructure Development ministry said six dams in the state had reached the critical stage.
The dams located in Tawau and Semporna have not received sufficient rain water to cater for the supply needs of the people.
Its minister Datuk Peter Anthony has assured that the Water Department would be sending water tanks should the situation persist and also consider cloud seeding.
Meanwhile, it was reported that in Kota Belud, more than 1,000 hectare of padi fields had been affected by the month-long drought.
As of now, Sabah Agricultural director Shafie Idrus said on the overall the crops output had yet to be severely affected by the dry season.
Adequate water supply in Selangor despite hot dry spell
Norzamira Che Noh New Straits Times 25 Mar 19;
SHAH ALAM: Water level at all dams and water retention ponds in Selangor will be able to supply water for the next three months despite the current hot and dry spell which is expected to last until April.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said readings of water level at the dams and retention ponds showed water storage capacity stood at 80 per cent.
"As announced by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister, there is no possibility of Selangor facing water rationing. This is unlike several other states which are likely to face the scenario.
"Overall, the capacity of storage at the seven state dams are good. It is able to cater to water treatment plants and has the ability to process and fulfill the current demand of 4,800 million litres a day.
"The Pumping Operation From Alternative Ponds to Selangor River (OPAK) and Hybrid Off River Augmentation System Project (HORAS) will also assist in maintaining water capacity that is required should the dry spell prolong. With the capacity that we have now, our water supply will be able to last for the next three months even if it does not rain," said Amirudin.
Amirudin told this to reporters after attending the Selangor state government monthly assembly organised by Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) today.
Also present was Selangor state secretary Datuk Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya, Selangor state assembly Speaker Ng Suee Lim and Luas director Datuk Hashim Osman.
Amirudin added that cloud seeding operations at the retention ponds and river basins would only be carried out if the water level at the dams dipped to below 60 per cent.
All seven dams in Selangor above 85pc capacity, enough water for three months
shalini ravindran The Star 25 Mar 19;
SHAH ALAM: All seven dams in Selangor are at above 85% capacity and have sufficient water for the next three months, says state Infrastructure and Public Amenities, Agriculture, and Agro-Industry Committee chairman Izham Hashim.
He said there was no need to take any countermeasures at the moment, but they were monitoring the situation.
“We are working with the Meteorological Department to determine if there is any change in the forecast.
“We were prepared for the dry spell as per information from the Met Department in December last year, which forecasted a weak El Nino until March.
“So we will have to get another forecast from them for the next three months,” he said at the sidelines of the state assembly.
Izham added that the state also had significant reserve water, including off-river storage (ORS).
However, he also urged Selangor residents to reduce water consumption in view of the hot weather.
He said water consumption in the state was higher than the national average.
"The average national water consumption is 226 litre per capita per day, but Selangor residents use 250 litres per person per day,” he said, advising the people not to use more than 170 litres per day.
