PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is expected to see less rain until September, no thanks to the southwest monsoon. Additionally, seven districts throughout the country have issued a Level 1 heat alert.

According to a report compiled by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), which features weather-related data from various agencies – Rompin, Pahang, as well as Kuching, Sri Aman, Kapit, Sibu, Marudi and Telang Usan in Sarawak, all reported temperatures that were within the Level 1 alert as of July 29.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (Metmalaysia) anticipates issuing at least a Level 1 heat alert in the weeks of July 30 and Aug 5.

A Level 1 alert is issued when the temperature at a location is between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.

The raw water storage reserves at two dams, namely Muda (8.36%) in Kedah and Bukit Merah (14.86%) in Perak, had also hit dangerous levels.

Six other dams, namely Teluk Bahang (30.70%) and Air Hitam in Penang (37.30%); Malut in Kedah (38.70%); Timah Tasoh in Perlis (40.52%); Pedu (40.87%) and Beris in Kedah (56.99%) have reached warning levels.

As of July 29, there were 116 heat-related illnesses reported compared with 112 in the previous week.

There were 81 cases of heat exhaustion, 27 heatstrokes and eight heat cramps.

Terengganu reported the highest number of heat-related illnesses with 20 cases, followed by Kedah (19), Johor and Pahang (14), Perak (11), Negri Sembilan (10), Selangor (9) and Sabah (7), while Kelantan, Perlis and Kuala Lumpur reported four cases each. Penang, on the other hand, reported only one case.

As for the breakdown according to age, 90 were adults, 21 teenagers, three children and two senior citizens.

“No new deaths were reported this week,” the report said, adding that five heatstroke deaths were reported from Feb 2 and Jun 13.

The Bukit Merah and Muda dam areas have been conducting cloud seeding operations since July 29 to increase water levels for agricultural and domestic use.

According to the Fire and Rescue Department, 652 hotspots for fire were identified all over the country.

ALOR SETAR: The drought in Kedah is worsening rapidly, with the Pedu Dam bearing the brunt of the crisis.

The dam’s water level has plummeted to alarming levels, revealing submerged graves that are estimated to be over a century old.

And if the dry spell does not end soon, it will have an adverse effect on some 650,000 water account holders in the state.

Villagers near the dam have expressed growing concern over the prolonged dry spell, which has led to health issues for many.

Mad Darus, 77, from Kubur Panjang, said several of his grandchildren have been falling sick frequently.

The former fisherman, however, said there is enough water supply as his village uses water from the nearby hills.

“But if the current drought continues, I fear that our water supply will be affected,” he said.

As of yesterday, the overall status of the current three reservoir levels under the supervision of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority is 545,821 acrefeet, equivalent to 44.63% of their total capacity.

The capacity of Pedu Dam is 352,480 acre-feet (40.28%), Muda Dam at 10,550 acre-feet (8.44%) and Ahning Dam at 182,791 acrefeet (81.97%).

An acre-foot equals approximately an eight-lane swimming pool, 25m long, 16m wide and 3m deep.

Construction worker Syarizwan Zuhel, 29, said the scorching weather has taken a toll on his family members.

“Last week, my daughter fell sick. Before that, my wife caught a fever due to the extreme weather,” he said.

Syarizwan, who lives in Kampung Gulau, about 15km from Pedu Dam, said to cope with the extreme weather, he drinks lots of water to stay hydrated.

Villager Teh Shafie, 65, from Kampung Kota Aur, said he hopes something can be done as the dam is an important water source.

With a population of over two million people in Kedah, a water crisis could impact various aspects of daily life, including household water supply, agriculture and local industries.

It could also impact neighbouring states like Penang and Perlis as the primary water source of these states come from Sungai Muda.

In mitigating the situation, the Federal Government has carried out cloud seeding in Kedah and Perak for three consecutive days starting from Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said the operations were to increase water levels at the Bukit Merah and Muda dams in Perak and Kedah respectively meant for agricultural and domestic use.

He said the move was to mitigate the impact of the hot weather phenomenon and the southwest monsoon, which is expected to continue until the end of September.

During the southwest monsoon, there will be reduced cloud formation and decreased rainfall.

Consequently, most regions across the country will experience an increased number of dry days.

Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state has not approved new logging applications in Ulu Muda since May 2020.

“The 72,000ha of land designated as a catchment area cannot be disturbed. Additionally, nearly 300,000ha surrounding the already gazetted area will be designated for protection once the logging operations approved between 2014 and 2020 are completed,” he said.

“But if the current drought continues, Ifearthatour water supply will be affected.” Mad Darus