Hot, dry spell in Sarawak to persist into next month as haze lingers, water levels fall
For weeks, residents have endured scorching daytime temperatures and choking haze.
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KUCHING: Sarawak is bracing for its hot and dry spell to persist into next month, as smoke from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia continues to shroud its skies and dwindling water levels put authorities on high alert.
For weeks, residents have endured scorching daytime temperatures and choking haze, with clear skies and fresh air becoming increasingly scarce.
“In the past weeks, it’s been bad. It’s been hard to breathe,” one Sarawak resident said.
“Some of my friends who are asthmatic are having trouble breathing and facing respiratory issues. I can’t imagine how children and older people feel.”
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Seasoned biker Jani Mat Il, who makes an annual ride from the northern tip of Sabah to the southern end of Sarawak, described travelling through the state as akin to riding through a furnace.
Roads were dusty and visibility was poor, said the university lecturer. “We can't see the sun, but the weather is very hot.”
THOUSANDS OF HOTSPOTS DETECTED
Sarawak Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas said about 13,000 hotspots were detected in neighbouring Indonesia last month.
In Sarawak, some 300 hotspots have been extinguished, he told CNA.
But with more than 1.7 million hectares of peatland across the state, authorities remain on high alert.
“Sarawak is almost as big as West Malaysia, and then almost half of Sarawak is in the interior, even in the peat area, where there are no proper roads,” said Uggah, who chairs the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee.
“That's why it takes time for us to tackle the fire. The tricky part is whether we have enough water to extinguish the fire. Sometimes it's very far from the river, and there is no road.”
The committee’s operations centre has been running since August to coordinate the response.
WATER LEVELS RUNNING LOW
The prolonged dry weather is also taking a toll on Sarawak’s water supplies.
Water shortages have been reported in several villages in the interior, while levels at some reservoirs have fallen to critical levels.
Authorities have drawn up contingency measures, including further cloud-seeding operations over hydroelectric dams and water catchment areas, in an effort to generate rainfall, ease the haze and replenish dwindling water reserves.
“A lot of our water supply facilities are drying up, and our electricity dam level is also going down. That’s why we are conducting cloud seeding,” Uggah said.
But cloud seeding can offer only limited relief if fires continue to burn and smoke continues to drift into Sarawak.
Authorities are now looking to the coming inter-monsoon period for some respite.
Uggah said he hopes a change in wind direction towards the end of the month will finally help clear the persistent haze that has hung over Sarawak for weeks.
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