KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi said the government does not have immediate plans to declare a heatwave emergency despite the country currently experiencing a spell of hot weather.
Datuk Seri Zahid, also the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, said hot weather conditions will last until September, with temperatures expected to reach above 40 deg C in August.
“We have put in place proactive and preventive measures to face the heatwave... If there is going to be an emergency, we will announce it accordingly.
“For now, not yet,” he said, after chairing a National Disaster Management Agency meeting on Tuesday, adding that the authorities are monitoring the situation.
For now, cloud seeding is being carried out at catchment areas for seven dams where the water level is expected to recede, he added.
“(Cloud seeding) will be done soon so that the people whose water sources come from these dams will not have to suffer from water shortages,” Mr Zahid said, adding that 101 tube wells have been installed in peat soil areas to address open burning issues that have led to cross-border haze problems.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) on Tuesday tweeted that four districts – Pasir Mas and Kuala Krai in Kelantan, Rompin in Pahang, and Muar in Johor – have been given a Level 1 heatwave warning.
According to MetMalaysia, a Level 1 warning is issued when temperatures at a location are between 35 deg C and 37 deg C for three consecutive days.
An orange alert, or Level 2 heatwave warning, will be issued when temperatures are between 37 deg C and 40 deg C for three straight days.
The red alert, or extreme heatwave warning, occurs when temperatures are above 40 deg C for three consecutive days.
Malaysia and other South-east Asian countries are grappling with record temperatures as the heatwave that started in April persists, following a pattern of extreme weather caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
To mediate some effects of the heatwave, Malaysia’s Education Ministry earlier this month ordered all outdoor activities in schools nationwide to be temporarily suspended.
The ministry also eased dress codes by allowing students and teachers to attend classes in appropriate casual wear and sports attire. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
