KUCHING: The Ministry of Energy and Environmental Sustainability has urged the public to take safety measures due to the ongoing dry and hot weather in the state.
Deputy Minister Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said the daily maximum temperature according to MetMalaysia that has been recorded at most meteorological stations from Feb 21 to 27 this year in Malaya was between 19.9 and 35.6 degree Celsius, while in Sarawak and Sabah it was between 24.7 and 34.0 degree Celsius.
“Malaysia has been experiencing hot weather for the past few days. Temperatures can reach 36 degrees Celsius in some states. People have been advised to take adequate preventive measures.
“Drink more water and reduce activities outside if the weather is too hot. If you experience symptoms of heat exhaustion, be sure to prevent it from becoming heat stroke by drinking a lot of water, taking cold showers and cooling down under air conditioned areas,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Hazland warned the public to avoid irresponsible open burning activities as it can cause haze, saying that the government would not hesitate to take legal action against those who committed the offence.
Therefore, Dr Hazland said the people should work together to put out small fires and report cases of open burning to the Fire and Rescue Department Service at 999 and the Natural Resources Board and Sarawak Environment (NREB).
He said Malaysia usually experiences a dry season or receives relatively less rain during the Southwest Monsoon (MBD), which is around May to September.
“Throughout that period, wind usually blows consistently from the southwest with drier atmospheric conditions and low air humidity. That will cause the formation of rain clouds to occur less throughout the monsoon period.
“If there is an El Nino, it will cause the situation to be worse than usual. At this time, MetMalaysia is constantly monitoring the expected dry weather this year and will inform the public if there are any new developments,” he said.
