KUCHING: A Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) meeting will be convened within the next two days to address the ongoing water shortage and drought in the state, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
He said the meeting is aimed at ensuring the state’s disaster response machinery is well prepared to deal with the current situation.
“These are serious issues that we need to deal with immediately,” he told reporters after representing Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg at the inaugural Borneo International Integrity Summit yesterday.
Uggah, who also chairs the SDMC, said all Divisional and District Disaster Management Committees (DDDMCs) have been placed on high alert due to the prolonged dry spell.
He added that he has instructed the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) to deploy drones to detect hotspots.
“If we were to wait for a big area to be burnt, then it will be too late,” Uggah said, explaining that the drones would help detect smoke early and allow for immediate action.
He said the current hotspots are mainly peat fires.
“It seems that there are many hotspots in Sarawak,” he said, warning the public against open burning.
The state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) reported that large tracts of land in Mukah and Marudi have been affected in recent days.
In Mukah, a fire that began on July 25 has destroyed more than two hectares of peat forest, while in Marudi, over 80 hectares have been lost to a fire that started on July 26.
Uggah also urged the DDDMCs to monitor villages and longhouses facing water shortages.
He said the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development is working closely with the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) to deliver water to affected areas.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
