KEMAMAN – Kerajaan telah bersiap sedia untuk menghadapi kemungkinan cuaca panas dan ancaman jerebu berikutan ketibaan Monsun Barat Daya bermula kelmarin.

Menteri Alam Sekitar dan Kelestarian Alam (NRES), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad berkata, pemantauan titik panas bukan sahaja akan dilakukan di seluruh negara malah melangkaui rantau Asia Tenggara.

SUMATERA: Gempa bumi magnitud 6 dilaporkan melanda Sumatera Utara, Indonesia lewat semalam, mengakibatkan gegaran dirasai sehingga Pulau Pinang, di Malaysia, sejauh kira-kira 500 kilometer (km).

Beberapa penduduk pangsapuri di Pulau Tikus, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling dan Tanjung Bungah, melaporkan terasa gegaran selama kira-kira 20 saat.

Gegaran itu dilaporkan Pusat Penyelidikan Geosains Jerman (GFZ) yang menyatakan gempa berlaku pada kedalaman 89km.

Sementara itu, menurut hantaran di laman Facebook Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia, gempa bumi berkenaan berlaku pada kedalaman 74km dengan pusat gempa terletak kira-kira 107km ke tenggara Meulaboh di wilayah Aceh.

Tiada ancaman tsunami dikesan susulan gempa itu. Sementara itu pihak berkuasa di Beijing, China melaporkan satu gempa bumi magnitud 5.5 melanda Tibet awal pagi tadi.

Menurut Pentadbiran Gempa Bumi China (CEA) gegaran berlaku berlaku di bandar Shigatse pada jam 5:11 pagi (2111 GMT), pada kedalaman 10km.

Pihak berkuasa sudah menghantar pasukan tindak balas kecemasan dan setakat ini tiada kemalangan jiwa dilaporkan. Pada Januari lalu, lebih 120 orang terkorban akibat gempa bumi magnitud 6.8 yang melanda daerah Tingri, Tibet, kira-kira 240 km dari Shigatse.

GFZ juga melaporkan satu gempa bumi magnitud 5.7 turut menggegarkan Kepulauan Vanuatu. - AGENSI

PETALING JAYA: Thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds are expected in parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak until 5pm on Monday (May 12).

The Meteorology Malaysia Department (MetMalaysia) issued a warning at 2:25pm of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds in Perlis, Kedah (Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Padang Terap, Sik, Baling, Kulim and Bandar Baru), Penang (North Seberang Perai, Central Seberang Perai and South Seberang Perai), Perak, Kelantan (Jeli), Terengganu (Dungun and Kemaman), Pahang (Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Jerantut and Rompin), Selangor (Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Hulu Langat), Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan (Jelebu, Kuala Pilah and Jempol), Johor (Segamat, Muar, Kluang, Mersing and Kota Tinggi).

A RECENTLY constructed flood retention pond at Taman Teluk Pulai, in Klang, Selangor is causing frustration among residents who say it has failed to serve its intended purpose.

The pond located at Lorong Serampang 1 has not providng much-needed flood mitigation, they say.

The residents said hoarding around the premises was removed at the end of March. They questioned the retention pond’s efficacy, describing it as a “sunken field”.

Despite the existence of a retention pond in the neighbourhood, a flood occurred two weeks ago leaving homes water­logged after 20 minutes of rain.

Ampika Pathy, 80, said floods in the area, before MBDK turned the land into a retention pond, were not as severe.

“We noticed that the recent floods were worse because water overflowed onto the main road. “Traffic was chaotic and motorists driving down from Teluk Pulai overhead bridge had to make a U-turn,” he said.

Along Jalan Teluk Pulai, Star Metro noticed a signboard stating that the reservoir was to meet urban storm water management needs. It also said: “During heavy rains, this area will hold water before it is slowly released to prevent flooding in downstream areas. 

“The water level will rise and fall slowly, so you are advised to leave this area when it rains heavily. “This area can be used for recreation during dry weather.”

Residents said when dry, the sunken field turned into a rubbish dump. S. Guna­rasa, 80, said there were two outlets for water to flow into the monsoon drains but this was not happening and that his house in Lorong Sepat 3 got flooded.

He added that he had lodged multiple complaints with MBDK. “There are overgrown plants in the drains, which have not been cleaned in months.

“The soil and silt must be removed.” Lee Siew Guat, 70, who has been living next to the retention pond for three years, said she was shocked to see how the area was inundated with water.

“My neighbours who have been here for the last 40 years have also never seen such bad flooding.” Teluk Pulai Residents Asso­ciation chairman Santokh Singh questioned the rationale and mechanism used by MBDK when the retention pond was planned.

“There was no feasibility study. The monsoon drains surrounding the neighbourhood have not been cleaned, which is also the cause for the flooding,” he said. R. Ramachandran, 75, who lives behind the Teluk Pulai KTM Komuter station, said he had to place a stone slab at the entrance of his house to keep floodwaters out.

“It has worsened in the last 10 years,” he said, adding that poor drainage around the station carpark contributed to the problem. MBDK did not reply to Star­Metro’s request for feedback at press time.