KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia menunggu kebenaran Kerajaan Nepal untuk menghantar pakar asid deoksiribonukleik (DNA) bagi membantu mengenal pasti identiti jasad mangsa bencana di negara itu.

Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, berkata permohonan untuk menghantar pakar berkenaan sudah dikemukakan kepada Kerajaan Nepal dan proses pengecaman menerusi DNA dijangka dilakukan selepas operasi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) ditamatkan.

Beliau berkata, kepakaran itu diperlukan bagi membolehkan sampel DNA daripada jasad mangsa bencana dipadankan dengan sampel diberikan ahli keluarga rakyat Malaysia yang masih belum ditemukan.

"Terdapat jasad yang ditemukan tetapi terus dikebumikan kerana mereka tidak mempunyai kemudahan yang mencukupi.

"Kita memerlukan DNA untuk dipadankan dengan sampel DNA ahli keluarga rakyat Malaysia. Proses itu akan dilakukan selepas operasi SAR ditamatkan," katanya dalam sidang media selepas majlis makan tengah hari sempena lawatan kerja Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Luar Thailand, Sihasak Phuangketkeow di sini hari ini.

Pada Sabtu lalu, beliau memaklumkan semua sampel DNA waris terdekat 55 rakyat Malaysia yang masih gagal dikesan susulan bencana banjir dan tanah runtuh di Nepal selesai diperoleh.

Sementara itu, Mohamad berkata, Pasukan Mencari dan Menyelamat Khas Malaysia (SMART) yang dalam perjalanan ke kawasan 'ground zero' akan membantu pihak berkuasa Nepal dalam usaha mengesan mangsa yang masih belum ditemukan.

Beliau berkata, Malaysia berharap kehadiran pasukan berkenaan dapat membantu usaha mencari dan mengesan mangsa yang masih dikategorikan sebagai hilang.

Semalam, anggota SMART MAS01 yang menyertai Misi Bantuan Kemanusiaan dan Bencana (HADR) ke Nepal selamat tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Tribhuvan, Kathmandu pada 12 tengah hari waktu tempatan.

Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADMA) dalam kenyataan memaklumkan pasukan itu selesai menjalani proses ketibaan dan protokol misi pada 4.30 petang waktu tempatan, termasuk urusan pelepasan logistik serta pengesahan senarai anggota.

Pasukan itu terdiri daripada 11 anggota dan pegawai SMART yang membawa peralatan SAR seberat 12.4 tan antaranya kelengkapan menyelamat, alat pengesan, sistem komunikasi, dron berkapasiti tinggi dan peralatan khas penyelamatan terowong serta sebuah kenderaan pacuan empat roda dan sebuah trak muatan 10 tan. – BERNAMA

The other locations were Samarahan (236), Kuching (218) and Sri Aman (206). There were no locations with “hazardous” API readings of above 300.

Thirty-one locations, including seven in Sarawak – Sarikei (192), Mukah (181), Sibu (180), Samalaju (175), Miri (169), ILP Miri (168) and Bintulu (167) – recorded “unhealthy” API readings.

In Selangor, Johan Setia recorded an API reading of 185, Shah Alam (165), Klang and Banting (158), and Kuala Selangor and Petaling Jaya (155).

Elsewhere, in Perak, Tasek and Seri Manjung recorded an API reading of 163, Tanjung Malim (158); Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (163) and Putrajaya (159).

Thirty-one areas recorded “moderate” API readings, and two were in the “good” category.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, while readings above 300 are categorised as hazardous.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Nearly two weeks after devastating floods struck parts of Nepal and the Nepal-Tibet border, rescue and recovery efforts are continuing, with Malaysians among those still unaccounted for.

To date, at least 1,300 people have been killed and more than 5,500 remain missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region.

Here is what we know so far about the Malaysians still unaccounted for and Malaysia’s response.

On August 26, a torrent of water, mud and rocks swept through communities in Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region following a glacial collapse, causing an estimated Rs387.54 billion (RM10.3 billion) in damage, according to preliminary findings by the Nepalese government.

Immediately after the disaster, Wisma Putra initially confirmed that 55 Malaysian nationals reported to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu as uncontactable due to severe disruptions in communications and electricity networks.

On August 29, the ministry further confirmed 36 Malaysians were reported as uncontactable in areas affected by telecommunications disruptions in China.

As of September 7, however, the ministry’s official records show that 55 Malaysians remain uncontactable, with verification efforts continuing through diplomatic channels with the Chinese government to determine whether reports of Malaysians in Nepal overlap with those in Tibet.

Among those reported uncontactable were Special Airborne Fire and Rescue Team (PASKUB) Senior Fire Officer II Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa and eight other members of his expedition team, including Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) deputy director of the Fire and Rescue Operations Division Mohd Sani Harul.

The group was reported missing after the four-wheel-drive vehicle they were using during an expedition to Everest Base Camp was believed to have been affected by flooding while travelling through a valley in Rasuwa.

Others missing include 49 Malaysian citizens across three tour groups who travelled to Nepal for trekking and religious activities, including Hindu pilgrimages.

Malaysian relief

On September 5, the National Disaster Management Agency deployed an 11-member Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to Nepal to assist in ongoing rescue and disaster relief operations.

The 11-member team will use high-capacity drones and specialised equipment to support operations led by the Nepalese authorities in areas requiring technical expertise and specialised operational capabilities.

In Malaysia, preparations for victim identification are also underway, including the collection and analysis of DNA samples from next of kin by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia, in coordination with the ministry.

Other Malaysian teams and organisations are also responding to the disaster, including a five-member team from United Sikhs Malaysia, a Malaysian humanitarian aid organisation involved in disaster relief and community assistance.

Mercy Malaysia has also deployed a humanitarian assessment team to Nepal to assess ground conditions and identify urgent needs, including emergency shelter, food, clean water, sanitation and healthcare.

In addition, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also pledged US$1 million in humanitarian aid to assist flood victims and support post-disaster recovery efforts.

BINTULU (Sept 8): The recurring haze linked to peat and forest fires highlights a deeper issue involving peatland management, water, climate, fire and public health, said the Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak (UPMS) Institute of Ecosystem Science Borneo (IEB).

“Behind the smoke is a bigger story. One that connects peatland, water management, land-use change, fire, air pollution, human health and climate,” it said in a statement.

The institute stressed that what happens in Kalimantan does not necessarily remain there, as smoke can travel across large areas depending on wind and atmospheric conditions, affecting neighbouring countries.

“Kalimantan’s peatlands are unique ecosystems formed over thousands of years, with organic matter accumulating under waterlogged conditions and storing significant amounts of carbon.

However, it said water was critical to keeping peatlands stable.

“When peatlands are drained, groundwater levels fall. The peat becomes exposed to oxygen, decomposition increases and more carbon is released. As the peat dries, it also becomes much more vulnerable to fire.”

This means a peat fire could begin long before flames become visible, with changes in the water regime creating the conditions for peat to dry out and become highly flammable, it said.

IEB said human activities contributed to the majority of fires in Indonesia, with fire sometimes used as a relatively cheap and easy method of clearing land.

“Research in Kalimantan also showed that fire occurrence was influenced by climate, land type and livelihoods.

“Dry conditions associated with El Niño could further worsen the situation by reducing rainfall and drying already degraded or drained peatlands,” it said.

The institute stressed, however, that El Niño did not cause fires on its own, but could create conditions that allowed fires to spread and persist.

“Once peat catches fire, the problem moves from the ground into the air. Peat fires release particulate matter and gases, including fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, which is particularly concerning because the particles can penetrate deep into the respiratory system,” it said.

Citing research from Central Kalimantan, the institute said a study examining peatland fires between 2011 and 2015 estimated that peat fires increased annual mean PM2.5 concentrations by about 26 micrograms per cubic metre.

The study also linked long-term exposure to increased risks of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as premature mortality.

The institute said the health consequences were ultimately felt by communities, with people breathing polluted air, children spending less time outdoors and families having to alter their daily routines because of haze.

Against this backdrop, the institute called for greater emphasis on prevention rather than relying solely on fire fighting after fires have already started.

It said maintaining appropriate water levels, protecting remaining peatlands, restoring degraded areas and strengthening fire and air-quality monitoring were crucial.

“Fire suppression will always be necessary when fires occur. But prevention starts much earlier,” it said.

Technology could also play a greater role through satellite observations, early-warning systems and artificial intelligence to identify high-risk areas and hotspots more quickly.

The institute stressed that the issue was not confined to Indonesia, noting that Malaysia also had peatland ecosystems important for biodiversity and carbon storage.

It therefore called for continued regional cooperation in addressing peatland fires and transboundary haze.

“After decades of recurring haze, perhaps the most important lesson is simple, the response should not begin when the smoke appears. The real work begins much earlier, beneath the surface in how peatlands are managed, how water is maintained and how risks are identified,” IEB said.

The institute said the haze seen today was ultimately a visible symptom of a problem that could have been developing beneath the surface for years.

“The haze is what we see. The deeper story begins long before the fire,” it added.