rahimy rahim The Star 25 Mar 19;
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are having to battle dengue cases on the rise even as they face drying taps from the current heatwave.
Dengue cases have shown a dramatic spike this year – up by about 150% from last year – and besides a change in the virus serotypes that is fuelling the increase, the weather pattern is of no help either.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said changes in weather patterns could have made it easier for the Aedes mosquitoes to breed in stagnant water.
He said that with the hot dry spells sandwiched by short bouts of rain, the mosquitoes’ larvae could hatch more easily.
During a prolonged dry spell lasting about three months, for example, there would not be many places with stagnant water for the mosquitoes to breed and the larvae to hatch, he said.
Regular rainfall, said Dr Lee, would also have washed out the stagnant water.
According to the government’s i-dengue website, there were 34,222 dengue cases between Dec 30 and March 23.
In comparison, only 13,658 cases were recorded between Jan 1 and March 23, 2018.
Calculations showed that on an average, there were about 2,800 dengue cases per week this year.
Dr Lee said a change in dengue serotype was also a cause for the upsurge in reported dengue cases in the country.
“Dengue has four virus serotypes. Last year, there were more Type-1 cases, whereas this year, most of the cases are Type-2,” he said, adding that this might make Malaysians more susceptible to dengue.
He urged the community to be actively involved in efforts to clean up potential breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes.
So far this year, Selangor has had the highest cumulative number of dengue cases with 20,002 cases, followed by Johor (2,788), Kuala Lumpur (2,745) and Sabah (1,560).
Last year, Selangor only had 7,295 dengue cases, Johor (1,362), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (923) and Sabah (909).
There are also 57 deaths from dengue so far this year, far above the 31 deaths recorded in the same period in 2018.
At the same time, with six states expected to face water shortage, Malaysians are being urged to be prudent with their usage and to conserve water in their households.
Environmental groups are calling on the public to take stronger measures and re-think their attitudes, starting from taking shorter showers, washing cars with rain water and using the washing machines only at full load.
Environmental expert Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed said most consumers were still wasting water through long showers, using full flush for toilets when urinating and using washing machines when not completely full.
“That kind of culture must change for us to save water,” he said.
Maketab said federal and state authorities should also look into other measures to ensure a continuous water supply.
“One of them is taking care of the non-revenue water (NRW), which is leakage due to old pipes and illegal connections.
“NRW is around 35% – that’s a lot of water,” he said.
The National Water Services Commission has previously advised consumers to reduce their water usage during the ongoing dry season while Water, Land, and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar has warned that six states – Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan – are predicted to get a “cumulative rainfall of below 25% of the average annual rainfall for April and May”.
It is reported that with the hot, dry season likely to last until May, dam levels and the planting of padi are affected.
As at 3pm yesterday, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage website showed the level of storage at three dams – Muda in Kedah (58.97%), Machap, Johor (55.61%) and Sembrong (54.07%).
Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Association chief executive officer Datuk Paul Selvaraj said water conservation needed to be focused, especially in urban areas.
“There should be concerted efforts to educate consumers and it should start at the school level.
“We need to teach students the importance and value of water and how families and individuals can conserve water,” he added.
Sustainable Network Development Malaysia chairman Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said various small measures could be taken to conserve water such as using smaller buckets in the toilet, washing dishes at one go or turning off the tap while brushing teeth.
Water and Energy Research Malaysia Association (Awer) president S. Piarapakaran said while rationing could be considered in areas where the dams were below 40%, notices should be given out to consumers at least two weeks before to avoid panic.
He also called on the federal government to make long-term planning to avoid any shortage similar to the Selangor water crisis in 2014, which saw rationing in many areas in the state.
The government and its agencies, said Piarapakaran, should take into consideration all the historical data on water availability and planned ahead by putting up buffers to avoid water rationing, especially in critical states.
“The only thing for consumers to do now is to begin reducing consumption but the government also needs to do careful planning so that the problem will not be prolonged and end up burdening the public,” he said.
Water at major Perak dams remains at normal level despite dry spell
Zahratulhayat Mat Arif New Straits Times 24 Mar 19;
IPOH: Despite the ongoing heatwave and dry spell, the water level at two major dams in Perak remains normal.
State Public Amenities, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Plantation Committee chairman Abdul Yunus Jamhari said the Air Kuning dam in Taiping and the Sultan Azlan Shah dam in Ipoh, both managed by the Perak Water Board, have not shown any drastic changes.
“The water level at the Air Kuning Dam stands at 42.5m and the level at the Sultan Azlan Shah dam stands at 241.21m, a slight decrease compared to the 243.5m recorded at the end of last month,” he told the New Straits Times today.
Abdul Yunus also gave his assurance to the public that they need not worry about the state’s water supply, which is ample despite the current hot and dry weather.
Nevertheless, he advised Perak residents to use water wisely in their daily activities.
On Saturday, Water, Land and Natural Resource Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar revealed that six states – Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan – are expected to face water shortages due to lack of rainfall.
He also said that several locations nationwide have not received rain in over 30 days, including Hulu Perak (56 days) and Setiu, Terengganu (31 days).
Xavier said that the nationwide heatwave and dry spell is expected to continue into May.
Awer: Need for water rationing during dry season
The Star 24 Mar 19;
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): With the dry spell here to stay until May, there is a need to carry out water rationing in a systematic and appropriate manner, especially in areas where the dam levels are at 50 percent.
Association of Water and Energy Research (Awer) president S. Piarapakaran said doing so would ensure that the existing water supply would last over a longer period.
"Such a measure would also control the excessive use of water, because should there be rationing, users will automatically minimise the use of water in their daily activities," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Malaysia is expected to experience the dry weather until May this year with Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan recording less than the average annual rainfall of 25 percent for the April-May period.
Explaining further, he said careful planning would have to be carried out before any rationing exercise was implemented such as giving at least two weeks notice to consumers, so as to avoid “panic consumption” among them.
Asked whether it was necessary for the government to announce an emergency and subsequently enforce Section 56 of the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006, he said the association did not see any need for it, as the situation was still under control.
"If the water margin reaches 40 percent, maybe it (an emergency) can be considered ... however, so far, we have never announced a ‘water emergency',” he said.
WSIA is a special power during emergency related to water resources provided to the Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources.
Section 56 of the act, among others, empowers the minister to prohibit the use of water in general or for specified purposes, limiting the use and discharge of water at any given time, and imposing additional charges over usage exceeding the prescribed limits. - Bernama
'Ration when dam less than 50 pc full'
New Straits Times 25 Mar 19;
KUALA LUMPUR: RATIONING needs to be carried out in areas where the water level in a dam is less than 50 per cent due to the hot and dry season, which is expected to last until May.
Water and Energy Research Association of Malaysia (Awer) president S. Piarapakaran said this was to ensure that the raw water supply would last longer.
“The move is to manage the excessive use of water because in the event of rationing, consumers will reduce their water use,” he told Bernama.
Malaysia is expected to experience the dry season until May with Johor, Negri Sembilan, P erak, Kedah, P ahang and Kelantan recording less than the a verage annual rainfall of 25 per cent in April and May.
Three dams recorded a capacity storage of around 50 per cent: Muda dam in Kedah at 58.97 per cent; and the Machap and Sembrong dams in Johor at 55.61 per cent and 54.07 per cent, respectively.
Piarapakaran said planning needed to be made before water rationing was implemented, such as providing at least a two-week notice to consumers to avoid panic use.
On whether it was necessary for the government to announce a water emergency and subsequently enforce Section 56 of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (WSIA), Piarapakaran said he did not see any need for it as the situation was under control.
“If the raw water margin reaches 40 per cent, maybe it (emergency) can be considered. We have never had a water emergenc y.”
WSIA is a emergency power in relation to the use of water resources provided to the water, land and natural resources minister.
Section 56 empowers the minister to prevent the use of water in general or for certain uses, limiting the use and discharge of water at any given time, and imposing additional charges for usage exceeding the prescribed limits.
Penang CM: Cloud seeding only if water dam level drops below 40%
The Star 24 Mar 19;
GEORGE TOWN (Bernama): Penang will carry out cloud seeding when the water level of the Air Itam Dam drops below 40%, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Chow said currently the Air Itam Dam has an adequate amount of raw water to meet the needs of the Air Itam township, Paya Terubong valley and surrounding areas for another 48 days.
"As of Friday (March 22), the effective capacity of the dam was 49.1%, but after the rain yesterday, the level increased to 50.1%. We will only call for cloud seeding if the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam drops below 40%," he told reporters after visiting the Air Itam Dam with Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa on Sunday (March 24).
Chow said he would leave it to PBAPP to keep an eye on the situation.
"We have already coordinated with Kedah because when we do cloud seeding, it doesn't just affect the clouds in Penang, but from northern Perak to Langkawi as well, with certain areas receiving rain depending on the wind," he said.
However, Jaseni expressed his concern about Sungai Muda's low water level because it is Penang's primary source of water.
He added the water level has fallen below PBAPP's alert level of 2m for 42 consecutive days (Feb 9 to March 22), with the level at 1.82m last Friday.
"We will continue to be vigilant because PBAPP extracts water from this river downstream of 14 Kedah water treatment plants and four irrigation intakes," he said.
He also said that Kedah is releasing water into Sungai Muda from the Muda and Beris Dams in the state to meet the demand in Kedah as well as in Penang.
He said that as of last Friday, the capacity of the Muda Dam was 49.6%, Beris Dam 73.3%, Teluk Bahang Dam 70.7% and Mengkuang Dam 46.6%. - Bernama
Air Itam dam good for another 48 days
r. sekaran The Star 25 Mar 19;
GEORGE TOWN: The Air Itam dam has sufficient raw water to meet the needs of the Air Itam township, Paya Terubong valley and surrounding areas for another 48 days.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the effective capacity of the dam was at 49.1% on Friday, compared with 92.2% on Jan 1.
“The dam’s effective capacity dropped by 43.1% in 81 days,” Chow told newsmen after visiting the dam yesterday.
Effective capacity is the maximum capacity according to the dam design and the resources it has.
Kedah is releasing water into Sungai Muda from the Muda and Beris dams to meet the raw water demand in Kedah as well as Penang.
“We are concerned about the low level of Sungai Muda because it is Penang’s primary raw water resource and we will continue to be vigilant as PBAPP extracts water from this river downstream of 14 Kedah water treatment plants and four irrigation intakes,” he said.
Chow said the dry season was more intense this year, as shown in the rainfall gauges at the dam which recorded 247mm of rainfall from Jan 1 to March 22.
In the same period last year, the dam received 498mm of rainfall.
He said PBAPP was empowered to carry out certain contingency measures if the situation warranted it.
“One of it will be minimising drawdown of raw water from Air Itam dam, as far as possible, without resorting to water rationing and pumping in as much water as possible from other water treatment plants outside of the Air Itam area,” he said.
Cloud seeding, said Chow, would be conducted if the effective capacity of the dam fell below 40%.
“The water supply scenarios in all other areas in the state are normal for now, with Teluk Bahang dam at 70.7% (enough for 215 days),” he said.
PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa, who was with Chow, said the dry weather was a blessing in a way because it allowed for repair and stabilisation works to ensure the safety and structural integrity of Air Itam dam.
“The left side of the 57-year-old dam eroded due to damage during the storms of September, October and November 2017.
“A 98m section of the left abutment of the dam is showing signs of water erosion and has to be repaired as further erosion will deposit soil in the dam and affect the quality of the raw water,” he said.
Jaseni said the approved budget for the works was RM1.6mil and they were scheduled for completion by July.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said in an El Nino update that the current hot weather is a regular annual phenomenon, giving an assurance that the dry weather will gradually change by April with the inter-monsoon period.
Water at Air Itam dam will last only 49 days, if dry weather continues
BALVIN KAUR New Straits Times 24 Mar 19;
GEORGE TOWN: The water at the Air Itam dam will only last another 49 days if the current dry weather continues and residents continue to use excess water.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow appealed to the people of Air Itam, Paya Terubong and surrounding townships to start saving water, or else risk running out of water before the end of May.
The dam serves over 175,000 residents of Air Itam, Paya Terubong and Jalan Masjid Negeri.
However, the water situation in the rest of the state is normal.
He said to counter the problem in Air Itam, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) had reduced the draw-down of raw water from the Air Itam Dam.
The water level at the dam stood at 50.3 per cent of its chcapacity as at 9am on Saturday. It stood at 93.9 per cent on March 22 last year, 80.4 per cent (2017), and 70.4 per cent (2016). The water level was also recorded on March 22 of those years.
“We have reduced the draw-down by 50 per cent.
“However, the residents should not worry about reduced water pressure as we are also pumping in as much water as possible from other water treatment plants outside Air Itam area to reduce daily draw-downs from the Air Itam dam,” he said, adding that the water from other water treatment plants would also reduce reliance on the Air Itam Dam.
Chow, who is also PBAPP chairman, said once the dam’s levels drop to 40 per cent, the state would request for cloud seeding to be carried out in the area.
He said low water levels at Sungai Muda was also another cause for concern, as the river supplies 80 per cent of Penang’s water.
Chow said the river’s level had dipped below the 2m level for the past 42 days, which was considered an “alert level” for PBAPP.
He said the Kedah government had been releasing water from two dams located upstream on the river to cater to Kedah’s water demand and by extension to Penang.
Penang extracts water from the river on its side of the state border on the mainland.
Meanwhile, PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said while the Air Itam Dam levels were low, works were being carried out to rectify the dam’s 98m-high abutment at a cost of RM1.6 million.
The abutment had shown signs of water erosion after it was commissioned in 1962, he said.
He said this was due to heavy bouts of rain between Sept to Nov in 2017.
Jaseni said if not repaired, it will deposit more soil into the dam, affecting the raw water quality in the long run.
He said repair work was also to ensure the structural integrity of the dam and a road that surrounds its perimeters is retained.
The works are scheduled to be completed by end of July, with works being 54 per cent complete now.
Cloud seeding needed in Pahang
Abdul Razak Raaff New Straits Times 24 Mar 19;
KUANTAN: Cloud seeding should be conducted to boost water levels at main rivers in Pahang.
State Tourism, Environment, Plantation and Biotechnology Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin said cloud seeding was necessary due to drop in water levels at some of the main rivers in the state.
He said the hot and dry weather had affected Sungai Pahang, Sungai Tembeling, Sungai Jelai, Sungai Semantan and Sungai Kuantan.
Sharkar said water at these rivers was not only used for domestic purpose but also for agriculture as well as to rear fresh water fish in cages.
He said as such the federal government should intervene by conducting cloud seeding to restore river water levels.
"I will table a complete report at the next state exco meeting on the main rivers' water level and what needs to be done to counter the extended long dry weather including the need for cloud seeding," he said.
The infobanjir.water.gov.my website which shows water levels of several major rivers in the country including Sungai Pahang showed that the main water artery in Pahang had seen a drop of up to three metres due to the hot weather.
The Sungai Pahang water level at Paloh Hinai in Pekan stood 5.42m compared to its normal level of 6.5m, while in Maran, the water level now stood at 11.82m (normal 14m), followed by 43.16m in Jerantut (normal 44m) and 23.12m in Temerloh (normal, 26m).
In addition, Sungai Jelai at Lipis had dipped to 53.44m (normal 55m), Sungai Bentong in Bentong was at 90.93m (normal 92m), Sungai Triang in Bera at 30.57m (normal 31m) and Sungai Kuantan in Bukit Kenau was at 16.18m (17m).
More than 1,000ha padi fields in Kota Belud affected by drought
SUZIANAH JIFFAR New Straits Times 24 Mar 19;
KOTA BELUD: More than 1,000 hectare of padi fields here have been affected by the month-long drought.
The district Integrated Agriculture Development Area director Salmah Labulla said the affected areas were Botung 1 and 2, South Tempasuk Scheme and Kesapang (Mile 6).
She said there was no surface water resource nearby and the underground water level was to low to be pumped out.
At present, the padi field project here involved more than 8,000 hectares.
Farmers at Kampung Sangkir and Tempasuk 2 were worried that the drought would dry up the soil and affect their padi yields.
"For short term planning, we are providing portable pumps to affected areas while for those who are yet to start cultivating padi, they are encouraged to rehabilitate their fields first," said Salmah.
"As for medium term planning, we are looking at constructing a water reservoir and delaying the cultivation period."
She that they were also looking at using padi strains which use less water, digging more wells and constructing dams as a long term measure to address the problems faced by the padi farmers.
Six water treatment plants in Sabah's east coast reach critical levels
muguntan vanar The Star 24 Mar 19;
KOTA KINABALU: Six water treatment plants in Sabah's east coast of Tawau and Semporna have reached critical levels while rainfall over the week has brought relief in other areas of the state hit by the dry spell.
Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony said they
were ready to mobilise tankers to send water to affected consumers in the two districts and may look at the option of cloud seeding if the situation worsens.
Speaking to reporters Sunday (March 24) to mark the World Water Day run in Penampang, Anthony said that since the dry spell began in February, 14 of their water treatment plants statewide had been at critical levels.
"The situation is no longer critical in the west coast and interior areas of the state.
"It is only critical in Tawau and Semporna with water running out in the six treatment plants," he said.
"The situation there (Semporna and Tawau) should improve if it begins
to rain in the area," he said, adding that the pump in the treatment plant in Tawau is unable to suck in water.
"We are monitoring the situation closely," he said.
Anthony said that though the annual rainfall in the state is high, the dry spell could trigger a drought and the state could face water shortage during certain periods.
He said the state government was considering building water storage facilities in every district to create reserves enough for at least three to four months.
On the controversial RM2bil Papar Dam project, Anthony said that the state government is hoping to get it started by next year.
He said it is currently carrying out the design and survey of the dam at the identified river source.
They were also waiting for reports from the Department of Environment and other relevant agencies.
"Everything should be in place in six months, hopefully we can start it," he said.
Anthony said that the Papar Dam was important to meet the needs of the growing development and population in Papar and Kota Kinabalu.
He said that the current water supply from the Babagon Dam and Tuaran treatment water plant would not be able to cope with the needs of the greater Kota Kinabalu area.
He said the Ulu Padas Dam project, which is expected to begin soon, will provide sufficient water supply for Sipitang and Beaufort.
Firemen use water-bombing to fight raging forest fires in Limbang
stephen then The Star 24 Mar 19;
MIRI: Aerial water-bombing is being carried out to fight raging forest fires in Limbang district in northern Sarawak.
The Bomba helicopter was flown on Sunday (March 24) morning to Limbang from the state Fire and Rescue Department helicopter base.
It is deployed to douse a huge forest fire in the Kg Lubok area in Limbang district.
Miri Fire and Rescue Department Chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the Bomba Airwing Unit had to be deployed as the forest fires have been raging for three days.
Sarawak is facing wildfire woes in many districts as the dry season sets in.
