OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PUTRAJAYA, May 15 — The Department of Environment (DOE), in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), will provide the Air Pollutant Index (API) updates twice a day on RTM, in the morning and evening, starting tomorrow.
DOE director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said the close collaboration with MetMalaysia was expected to not only strengthen ties between the agencies but also help the public make wiser decisions, especially concerning health and outdoor activities.
“The collaboration with MetMalaysia enables weather data and air quality information to be integrated more effectively, thereby improving our ability to make assessments and to take appropriate action,” he said in a statement here today.
Wan Abdul Latiff said the DOE and MetMalaysia believed the effort would not only strengthen the roles of both agencies in environmental management but also contribute to the development of a more sustainable and resilient nation centred on the well-being of the people.
He said API monitoring was carried out 24 hours a day by DOE officers through the National Environmental Command Centre, which served as the main facility for real-time monitoring of API readings nationwide, aimed at ensuring that air quality remained under control and complied with the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Standards.
“This measure is part of the DOE’s continuous efforts to reduce the impact of pollution on public health and to increase the country’s level of preparedness in facing any air pollution incidents, including haze,” he said.
The public is encouraged to refer to the official website, www.eqms.doe.gov.my, and the MyJAS EQMS application for direct and detailed information on the API. — Bernama
KOTA BHARU: Kementerian Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air (Petra) telah memberi pilihan kepada syarikat Air Kelantan Sdn. Bhd. (AKSB) atau Kerajaan Kelantan dalam melaksanakan usaha baik pulih cerun runtuh berhampiran Loji Rawatan Air (LRA) Bukit Remah di Tanah Merah dekat sini.
Timbalan Menterinya, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd. Nasir berkata, kedua-dua pihak boleh memilih untuk melaksanakan usaha tersebut melalui pakej-pakej di bawah Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) berikutan ia turut melibatkan aset air dan sebagainya.
Menurutnya, selain itu, pihak AKSB merasakan masih ada ruang untuk memohon peruntukan dalam bentuk geran daripada Kerajaan Persekutuan, namun akan berlaku kesulitan berikutan tiada butiran diperlukan.
“Ini berlaku kerana di peringkat Petra, jarang sekali kejadian bencana melibatkan aset air. Pihak AKSB dan kerajaan negeri boleh memilih kaedah yang mahu digunakan tetapi perlu buat keputusan cepat.
“Kebimbangan kami (Petra) adalah sekiranya baik pulih cerun tidak disegerakan. Apabila tiba musim tengkujuh, cerun tersebut bukan sahaja semakin terancam, tetapi mungkin akan turut menjejaskan LRA Bukit Remah sendiri.
“Cabaran kita adalah untuk melihat keperluan membaik pulih cerun berhampiran LRA Bukit Remah. Diharap AKSB dan kerajaan negeri dapat buat keputusan sebaik mungkin,” katanya ketika ditemui pemberita semasa melawat perkembangan projek pembinaan LRA Tanjung Mas, di sini hari ini.
Mengulas lanjut, Akmal Nasrullah memberitahu, kejadian cerun runtuh di dalam kawasan aset air merupakan perkara yang sangat jarang berlaku dan sudah pasti ada beberapa ruang untuk kerajaan negeri meminta bantuan daripada Kerajaan Persekutuan bagi mendapatkan dana untuk baik pulih.
Katanya, terdapat permohonan daripada AKSB bagi mendapatkan dana bagi tujuan tersebut dan Petra mengemukakan pilihan sama ada usaha baik pulih cerun dilaksanakan melalui pakej PAAB atau permohonan lain.
“Setakat ini, AKSB hanya memaklumkan jangkaan kos untuk baik pulih cerun yang dianggarkan bernilai RM6.05 juta. Bagi penyelesaian jangka sederhana dan panjang, masih ada beberapa perancangan lain.
“Cuma ia adalah langkah mitigasi segera yang perlu diperhalusi. Kita harap perkara itu akan dapat diputuskan segera supaya masalah berkenaan dapat diselesaikan dengan secepat mungkin,” katanya-UTUSAN
KOTA BARU: The Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry has urged Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) to promptly decide on repairs for the collapsed slope near the Bukit Remah Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Tanah Merah, following a landslide in November last year.
Deputy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the incident damaged the plant's inlet and outlet pipelines, but the pipe repairs had already been done.
He said it was crucial to restore the slope before the upcoming monsoon season, which could potentially compromise the entire structure of the water treatment plant.
"We have given AKSB the option of whether to carry out repair works through Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad or apply for a special grant from the Federal Government. However, a decision must be made soon as the risk of further landslides is high," he told reporters after a working visit to the Tanjung Mas WTP construction site here today.
On Nov 28 last year, the slope at Bukit Remah collapsed during the Northeast Monsoon season, damaging both raw and treated water pipelines.
Akmal Nasrullah said that although disasters such as floods rarely had a direct impact on the water infrastructure, the government was ready to help in recovery efforts.
He also visited the proposed site for the construction of a riverbank water reservoir in Machang, which will be the first of its kind in Kelantan.
He added that a consultant had been appointed for the project and the ministry is awaiting official site confirmation from the state government before commencing detailed planning work.
Meanwhile, Akmal Nasrullah said that the upgrading works for the Tanjung Mas WTP were progressing well.
"Construction of the tube wells is expected to be completed by the end of this year before the plant's pre-implementation phase commences," he said. – BERNAMA
BANGKOK: A Thai court issued arrest warrants on Thursday (May 15) for 17 people over the collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper that fell in a major earthquake, killing dozens of workers.
The 30-storey tower being built to house the State Audit Office was reduced to rubble in seconds when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighbouring Myanmar on March 28, killing thousands in Thailand's wartorn neighbour.
The tower was the only building in Bangkok to collapse, and the speed and suddenness with which it fell has raised questions about the quality of the construction.
"A Thai court today issued arrest warrants against three groups, comprising 17 people, related to the collapse," Police Lieutenant-General Siam Boonsom told AFP.
He did not give details of those targeted by the warrants, but Thai media reports said they include staff from Italian-Thai Development (ITD), one of the firms building the tower.
Authorities say they have recovered 89 bodies from the rubble of the collapsed tower, with seven people still unaccounted for.
The project was a joint venture between ITD -- one of Thailand's biggest construction firms -- and a Chinese conglomerate.
Initial tests by Thai safety officials last month on steel rebars -- struts used to reinforce concrete -- recovered from the site found that some of the metal used was substandard. - AFP
Ottawa: Dua penduduk maut, manakala 1,000 lagi terpaksa dipindahkan selepas kebakaran hutan besar melanda kawasan tengah Kanada, sekali gus mencetuskan kebimbangan berhubung musim kebakaran yang dijangka lebih mencabar tahun ini.
Polis Diraja Kanada (RCMP) berkata, mangsa maut itu terbabit dalam kebakaran berlaku di komuniti kecil Lac-du-Bonnet, wilayah Manitoba yang ketika ini mengalami cuaca luar biasa panas, kering dan berangin.
Pegawai RCMP, Chris Hastie memaklumkan, pihak berkuasa dimaklumkan mangsa terperangkap dalam kebakaran, namun pasukan penyelamat hanya dapat tiba ke lokasi pada keesokan paginya berikutan keadaan ekstrem.
"Setakat ini, tiada laporan orang lain hilang," katanya. Kebakaran itu memaksa 1,000 penduduk Lac-du-Bonnet yang terletak kira-kira 100 kilometer di utara Winnipeg dipindahkan. Beberapa arahan pemindahan lain turut dikeluarkan di kawasan sekitarnya, sejak beberapa hari lalu.
Pihak berkuasa memaklumkan terdapat 24 kebakaran aktif di Manitoba, dengan lima daripadanya masih tidak terkawal. Satu kebakaran di sempadan Ontario pula merebak sehingga 100,000 hektar.
Ketika ini, terdapat 92 kebakaran aktif di seluruh Kanada termasuk di British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba dan Ontario.
