KUCHING: State PKR vice chairman See Chee How has called on the government to take concerted and sustainable efforts to address the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon.
In a press statement yesterday, he urged Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang to immediately call an emergency meeting with all relevant authorities to look into the problem and come up with strategies and plans.
He observed that more needed to be done as the distribution of bottled drinking water and instructions for cloud seeding were mere knee-jerk responses to the situation.
“The deputy chief minister, as the chairman of the State Disaster Relief Committee, appeared not to apprehend the severe impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon,” he said.
The Batu Lintang assemblyman said the emergency meeting should include the Health and Medical Department, Department of Environment, Welfare Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department, Public Works Department and National Security Council.
“All relevant authorities need to look into the problem of poor air quality in the state, impending lengthy dry spell and most importantly, the systematic and sustainable supply of clean water to all the drought-hit areas,” he suggested.
By addressing this looming crisis, See pointed out that the state government’s policies on land use, development plans, governance and administration, the functioning of departments and agencies as well as state logistics and machinery will be put to test and the shortcomings must be addressed.
He revealed that as of yesterday, areas with unhealthy API readings were Sibu and Sri Aman, and those approaching the unhealthy level were Kuching, Samarahan, Sarikei, Bintulu and Miri.
“This is not a good sign as there are only 10 API reading stations in Sarawak,” he said.
He also observed that drought has hit Sarawak and most of its coastal regions particularly Saratok, Roban, Betong, Balingian, Simunjan and Sebuyau were suffering from dry taps, without even rainwater or stream water to collect.
“Despite the warning of El Nino weather phenomenon being issued globally last year, with Sarawak and Sabah being predicted to be the worst hit states in Malaysia, the Sarawak State Disaster Relief Committee is once again a complete let-down as it has just had its first meeting last week and it has failed to put in place measures to mitigate the impacts and plan for the prolonged dry spell,” he said.
“The DCM (deputy chief minister) had played down the problem, saying that only the districts and sub-districts of Saratok, Roban, Spaoh, Debak, Pulau Bruit and coastal areas in Betong are facing water scarcity, and the Welfare Department is distributing two boxes of drinking water to each family in the affected areas,” he added.
In fact, more than half of the districts and sub-districts in Sarawak were facing water crisis, he stressed.
“How long can two boxes of drinking water sustain a family?” he questioned while emphasising that each family in a longhouse in Balingian required two boxes every day.
The state government, he pointed out, should realise that the El Nino weather phenomenon and the prolonged dry spell was a tough challenge on the state’s machinery.
“It is misguided when the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has yet to issue a notice to stop open burning even as of today (yesterday),” he added.
“The Health and Medical Department must check and monitor all the water catchments and water treatment plants to ensure their sustainability and safety. Alternative sources must be identified if those existing water catchment and water treatment plants have dried up or were polluted,” he further said.
To him, it was unacceptable that alternatives to the Lichok water treatment plant win Saratok and Ngeli water treatment plant in Simunjan, which were drying up, were delayed and/or yet to be constructed.
He also advised that health and medical officers be vigilant and issue health alerts to prevent disease outbreaks related to drought if necessary and ensure sufficient supply of medication in all hospitals and clinics, especially those in the rural areas, besides getting ready trained medical officers for relief and operations.
“The Public Works Department must take stock of the reserves and sustainability period of raw water in each division and co-ordinate efforts between the divisional offices to provide logistics to distribute raw water to those divisions which are suffering water shortage, for them to treat and supply to the households,” he elaborated.
“The Agriculture Department and the Department of Drainage and Irrigation must also formulate plans for irrigation to ensure that food production in the state will not be adversely affected by the dry spell,” he added.
He also suggested that the state government ensure that the Police and Fire and Rescue Department were sufficiently prepared for forest fires, especially in peat areas.