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PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
KOTA KINABALU, 14 Julai: Masalah bekalan air yang membelenggu pelajar Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) mendapat perhatian segera Kementerian Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air (PETRA) apabila institusi itu menjadi lokasi pertama dikunjungi dalam program PETRA Skuad hari ini.
Program tinjauan berkenaan disertai Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri PETRA Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, bersama timbalannya Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir serta Ketua Setiausaha PETRA Datuk Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli.
Tinjauan yang bermula jam 11 pagi itu turut melibatkan empat lokasi lain, iaitu Rancangan Tebatan Banjir (RTB) Sungai Damai Basin 8 di Likas; Pencawang Masuk Utama Kota Kinabalu di Tanjung Aru; Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu (KKIA) bagi projek solar bumbung; serta Skim Pembetungan Putatan Fasa I.
Menurut Fadillah, kerajaan Persekutuan komited menangani isu gangguan bekalan air di UMS dengan melaksanakan pelan intervensi jangka pendek berjumlah RM1 juta yang akan dilaksanakan melalui kerjasama Jabatan Air Negeri Sabah, PETRA dan pihak universiti.
Katanya pelan intervensi itu bakal memberi manfaat kepada lebih 3,000 pelajar, khususnya di Kolej Kediaman Tun Mustapha serta Kolej Kediaman Tun Fuad yang sering terjejas akibat gangguan bekalan air.
“Pelan ini melibatkan pembinaan saluran agihan khusus untuk menyambungkan sumber air bawah tanah sedia ada, penambahan tangki simpanan air bawah tanah berkapasiti 0.13 juta liter, serta pemasangan injap kawalan automatik,” katanya.
Turut hadir, Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir dan Naib Canselor UMS Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor.
Sementara itu, di RTB Sungai Damai Basin 8, Fadillah berkata projek bernilai RM48 juta itu telah mencapai kemajuan fizikal sebanyak 54 peratus dan dijangka siap sepenuhnya pada Julai 2026.
“Apabila siap kelak, ia mampu melindungi seramai 17,500 penduduk daripada risiko banjir melalui kerja menaik taraf sistem saliran, pembinaan rumah pam, pembetung jalan serta pintu kawalan banjir,” katanya.
Dalam lawatan ke Pencawang Masuk Utama Kota Kinabalu pula, PETRA menyerahkan tujuh projek sektor tenaga bagi Sabah dan Labuan yang membabitkan kos lebih RM260 juta di bawah Pasukan Khas Projek Bekalan Elektrik Sabah.
Projek itu akan memberi manfaat kepada 60,434 pengguna dengan pelaksanaan kerja menaik taraf pencawang, sambungan talian grid baharu serta pemasangan sistem pemantauan keselamatan di beberapa daerah termasuk Sipitang, Beaufort, Tanjung Aru, Ranau, Sandakan dan Labuan.
Bagi pemasangan solar bumbung di KKIA, projek tersebut diluluskan Suruhanjaya Tenaga pada 2022 sebelum pemindahan kuasa pembekalan elektrik diserahkan semula kepada Kerajaan Sabah.
Kini diselia Suruhanjaya Tenaga Sabah, sistem yang dibangunkan menerusi Program Solar for Self-Consumption itu merangkumi 8,400 modul fotovolta di tiga bumbung bangunan dan dijangka mampu menjana sehingga 5,325.7 megawatt-jam (MWj) tenaga elektrik hijau setahun serta mengurangkan pelepasan karbon dioksida sebanyak 4,046 tan metrik.
Tinjauan diakhiri dengan lawatan ke projek Skim Pembetungan Putatan Fasa I yang kini mencatat kemajuan fizikal sebanyak 69.85 peratus. Projek bernilai RM134 juta yang dimulakan pada Disember 2020 itu dijadual siap pada Mac 2026.
Ia dijangka meningkatkan keupayaan sistem pembetungan di kawasan Putatan, selain menyumbang kepada kesejahteraan awam, kelestarian alam sekitar serta pembangunan infrastruktur asas di daerah berkenaan. -TVS
BAGAN SERAI: Pesawah di sini menggesa agar kerajaan menyegerakan pelaksanaan projek pemindahan air dari Sungai Perak ke Tasik Bukit Merah bagi memastikan bekalan air ke sawah padi di sini tidak terjejas semasa musim kemarau.
Mereka berkata, projek tersebut dapat mengatasi masalah bekalan air ke sawah yang berlaku setiap kali Tasik Bukit Merah kering akibat cuaca panas.
Timbalan Pengerusi Pengerusi Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia (Pesawah), Azhar Hashim berkata, projek penyaluran air ke Empangan Bukit Merah merupakan penyelesaian jangka panjang terhadap masalah kekurangan air sering dihadapi pesawah.
“Projek pemindahan air Sungai Perak itu lebih sesuai berbanding cadangan untuk mencuci lapisan gambut di dasar Tasik Bukit Merah untuk memastikan bekalan air di tasik itu sentiasa mencukupi.
“Projek mencuci dasar kolam yang menelan belanja antara RM4 hingga RM5 juta sekali pelaksanaan namun ia hanya menyebabkan air surut lebih cepat akibat penyerapan haba dan pengeringan secara semula jadi.
“Tanpa lapisan gambut, kolam lebih cepat kering kerana air mudah tersejat. Duit sebegitu lebih baik dilaburkan untuk projek pemindahan air jangka panjang,” katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia.
Pada Jun tahun lalu, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, perbelanjaan dianggarkan RM4 bilion diperlukan bagi pelaksanaan projek penyaluran air mentah dari Sungai Perak ke Empangan Bukit Merah untuk mengatasi masalah bekalan air.
Azhar mengakui bimbang jika operasi saliran sawah padi bakal dihentikan sekiranya paras air Tasik Bukit Merah di sini terus mencatat penurunan akibat cuaca panas.
Menurutnya, operasi saliran air bagi sawah padi bakal dihentikan sekiranya paras tasik itu mencapai paras tertentu.
Katanya, ketika ini sebahagian tasik tersebut sudah kering dan jika paras air terus jatuh, berkemungkinan bekalan air ke sawah akan terjejas.
Ketua Unit Peladang Kawasan Parit Haji Ali Masjid Tinggi, Muslan Mohd. Napiah berkata, masalah bekalan air ke sawah tidak boleh lagi dipandang ringan dan Lembaga Air Perak (LAP) dicadangkan menyediakan tangki simpanan atau takungan kecemasan apabila air di tasik itu mencatat penurunan.
“Bila empangan ini terganggu, semua sektor terkesan, bukan sahaja pesawah. Jadi pengurusan air mesti bijak dan bersedia lebih awal dengan sistem simpanan alternatif,” ujarnya.-UTUSAN
PETALING JAYA – Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air (PETRA), Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof semalam mengadakan tinjauan ke tapak Rancangan Tebatan Banjir (RTB) Sungai Damai, Kota Kinabalu sempena siri jelajah PETRA Skuad Zon Sabah.
Kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi PETRA telah meluluskan peruntukan pembangunan bernilai RM48 juta bagi projek RTB Sungai Damai, yang kini giat dilaksanakan.
Projek yang telah bermula pada September 2023 itu telah mencatat kemajuan fizikal sebanyak 54 peratus setakat ini dan dijangka siap sepenuhnya menjelang Julai 2026.
RTB Sungai Damai merangkumi skop kerja penting termasuk naik taraf sistem saliran, pembinaan rumah pam, pembentung jalan dan pintu kawalan banjir.
Apabila siap kelak, projek itu dijangka memberi manfaat langsung kepada 17,500 penduduk, sekali gus memperkukuhkan perlindungan bagi kawasan berisiko banjir.
Fadillah berkata, projek berkenaan merupakan sebahagian daripada usaha kerajaan dalam memastikan kesejahteraan rakyat dan ketahanan infrastruktur bagi menghadapi perubahan iklim serta cuaca ekstrem yang semakin kerap melanda.
“Secara keseluruhannya, untuk tahun 2025 sahaja, PETRA telah meluluskan Peruntukan Pembangunan Rancangan Malaysia Ke-12 (RP5 RMKe-12) berjumlah hampir RM153.3 juta, melibatkan pelaksanaan 27 projek di bawah Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) Malaysia.
“Daripada jumlah ini, 24 projek adalah sambungan, manakala tiga projek merupakan inisiatif baharu.
“Skop pelaksanaan merangkumi pelbagai aspek pengurusan sumber air dan bencana alam, termasuk projek tebatan banjir; kerja-kerja pengawalan hakisan pantai; pemuliharaan muara sungai; pengukuhan dan penstabilan tebing sungai serta kerja-kerja mekanikal selain elektrikal berkaitan pengairan dan saliran,” katanya.
Terdahulu, Fadillah melakukan pelepasan siri jelajah PETRA Skuad Zon Sabah di hadapan Menara Kinabalu.
PETRA Skuad Zon Sabah telah mengadakan tinjauan ke beberapa lokasi lain sektor tenaga dan air di sekitar Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Antaranya adalah melawat ke Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Majlis Penyerahan Projek Siap PPKBES Tahun 2024 kepada Kerajaan Sabah di PMU Kota Kinabalu; Tinjauan ke ‘Rooftop Solar’ di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu; dan lawatan tapak Skim Pembetungan Fasa 1 Putatan.
Turut serta dalam rombongan itu ialah Timbalan Menteri PETRA, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd. Nasir dan Ketua Setiausaha PETRA, Datuk Mad Zaidi Mohd. Karli.
Pada masa sama, Fadillah menambah, langkah-langkah tersebut menzahirkan komitmen berterusan kerajaan dalam memastikan infrastruktur pengairan negara kekal cekap, mampan dan selamat untuk jangka masa panjang.
Jelasnya, melalui projek-projek seperti RTB Sungai Damai, kerajaan bukan sahaja memacu pembangunan infrastruktur yang mampan, malah menekankan pendekatan berorientasikan rakyat, dengan impak langsung kepada keselamatan dan kualiti hidup komuniti setempat.
PETRA dijangka terus memainkan peranan penting dalam menyokong pelaksanaan projek berkaitan air dan saliran di seluruh negara, selaras dengan agenda negara untuk memperkukuh daya tahan iklim, pengurusan risiko bencana, dan kemampanan alam sekitar. -KOSMO! ONLINE
The hazards of fake emergency calls
- Admin UKK
- Berita
KOTA BHARU: Behind the routine of an incoming emergency call lies an often overlooked reality – fake or prank calls can mean the difference between saving and losing a life.
Kelantan fire and rescue department director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said although the country’s emergency response system has become more sophisticated thanks to the Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS) 999, fake and prank calls continue to pose a serious challenge, often disrupting critical rescue operations.
“Fake calls occur when the caller provides a full address but, upon arrival, no real incident has taken place. Prank calls, on the other hand, involve the caller remaining silent, making jokes, or merely seeking attention.
“The key difference is that prank calls are usually filtered by Telekom Malaysia (TM) before they reach us,” he told Bernama recently.
He said before the implementation of MERS 999, the fire department had to bear the cost of every incoming call.
“Some people would call because they were broken-hearted; others used public phones just to make jokes. Back then, the fire department had to foot the phone bill.”
Now, with the MERS 999 system operated free of charge by TM, every emergency call undergoes a preliminary screening process. Caller details such as name and location are recorded to help expedite response times.
“By the time MERS 999 connects the call to us, the nearest fire station has already received the ‘call sheet’ and is preparing to deploy,” he said.
“However, we still need to ask the caller for more details, such as the type of fire or the condition of the victim, so the commander can better plan the operation.”
Farhan explained that the MERS 999 system is operated simultaneously by three call centres located in Cheras, Melaka, and Kuching in Sarawak. “If one centre is busy, the call is automatically redirected to another without affecting response time.
“The system is designed to ensure a fast and efficient response, no matter which centre handles the call. So, for example, if a call from Sabah is routed to Sarawak, it doesn’t cause any delays.”
He also recalled a tragic incident during his time in Sabah, when the fire department was accused of being late to a scene that resulted in three fatalities.
“The caller gave an incomplete address, and the commander had to seek additional information. The fire spread too quickly,” he said, stressing that the case served as a critical reminder of the importance of providing complete and accurate details during emergency calls.
Farhan, who urges the public to use MERS 999 responsibly and only in genuine emergencies, stressed that fake and prank calls are not just a nuisance – they can delay aid to actual victims.
As such, calls of this nature are considered a crime, even though no fake callers have been prosecuted in Kelantan so far.
According to Kelantan JBPM, as of July 7, the department has received 2,053 calls, including 796 fire cases, 1,173 rescue operations, 76 special tasks, and eight fake calls.
The department recorded seven fake calls in 2023 and another seven last year, as well as two in 2022.
ALOR STAR: In 2024, floods wiped out RM158.7 million worth of padi in Kedah's Mada region, raising alarm over the escalating cost of climate volatility on the nation's food security.
The Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) said floods last year destroyed 57,323 tonnes of rice across 2,047 hectares of padi fields.
But it is not just the dramatic floods — creeping temperatures are an invisible threat to yields, agency leaders said.
"Flood damage is obvious, but rising temperatures will quietly eat into yields. "When it gets too hot, it affects chlorophyll formation and flowering in the rice.
"Once that happens, output will decline, but for now, it is under control," Mada chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh said.
Another long-term study projects yield reductions of up to 34.8 per cent by 2060 in granary states like Kedah, Perak and Kelantan if climate patterns persist.
Mada is focusing on fortifying the fundamentals of soil health and water management to cushion the impact, said Ismail. "Whether it's floods or heat spells, degraded soil means poor harvests.
"We're boosting fertility with microbial and organic inputs to make the crops more resilient," he said.
The agency is upgrading irrigation and drainage where possible, bracing for more extreme swings between too much and too little water.
While most Mada-controlled areas are shielded from saltwater intrusion, Ismail said that coastal padi zones in Kuala Muda and Sungai Petani were showing signs of soil salinity.
"We have about a decade, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasts, to put adaptation strategies in place before harsher climate patterns take hold.
"We have to adapt before harsher climate patterns really set in. That means investing in better drainage, smart irrigation systems and soil resilience measures now," he added.
Farmers Organisation Authority (LPP) chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar said climate-linked disasters were forcing a paradigm shift in farming.
"Floods, droughts, even seawater intrusion, these are no longer once-in-a-generation events. They're happening regularly, so we need cross-ministerial coordination and long-term planning to cope."
Mahfuz said farmers under the LPP are adjusting their routines, altering crop calendars or choosing different, more resilient crops in between padi seasons to avoid the worst flood months.
He said in Kedah, 816 LPP-member farmers suffered RM2.2 million in losses this year due to floods and drought, affecting over 3,400ha of farmland.
Nationwide, 37,912 LPP-member padi farmers have enrolled in Agrobank's Padi Crop Takaful Scheme introduced last year – a sign that farmers recognise the need for climate risk management.
"Preparedness is no longer optional. We have to reduce the risk of suffering losses to climate change and we need to learn from the past events" Mahfuz said.
