OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
JAKARTA: Sejumlah wilayah di Kalimantan Selatan berpotensi mengalami udara kabur hingga jerebu pada pagi Khamis.
Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofizik (BMKG) meramalkan potensi jerebu berlaku di Kota Banjarbaru, Banjarmasin, Kabupaten Banjar, Barito Kuala dan Tapin.
Jarak penglihatan terhad dijangka berlaku di daerah Hulu Sungai Tengah, Hulu Sungai Utara, Hulu Sungai Selatan, Tabalong, Balangan dan Tanah Laut.
Sementara itu, di daerah Kotabaru dan Tanah Bumbu, cuaca cerah berawan dijangka berlaku dari pagi hingga malam.
Hujan tidak lebat pula diramalkan berlaku pada sebelah petang di Tabalong dan Kotabaru. Hampir seluruh wilayah Kalimantan Selatan dijangka mengalami hujan tidal lebat pada sebelah petang.
Suhu udara dijangka antara 22 hingga 36 darjah Celsius, dengan kelembapan relatif antara 35 hingga 99 peratus. – AGENSI
KUCHING (Sept 24): Three of Sarawak’s 21 air quality monitoring stations continued to record ‘Very Unhealthy’ readings at 1pm on Thursday, while another 12 remained at the ‘Unhealthy’ level, according to the Natural Resources and Environment Board’s (NREB) API Status for Sarawak.
Lundu, Kanowit and Serian continued to record ‘Very Unhealthy’ air quality, with Lundu posting the highest reading at 219 at 1pm, down from 223 at 8am. Kanowit remained unchanged at 216, while Serian fell from 218 to 210.
Among the 12 stations recording ‘Unhealthy’ air quality, Lubok Antu rose from 191 to 198, while Kuching eased slightly from 195 to 193. Tebedu remained unchanged at 194, while Samarahan fell from 188 to 185.
The other ‘Unhealthy’ readings were Belaga at 173, Betong 172, Sri Aman 170, Bintulu 166, Sibu and Samalaju (158 each), Sarikei 157 and Kapit 121.
Meanwhile, six stations recorded ‘Moderate’ air quality, with Mukah and Miri moving out of the ‘Unhealthy’ category. Mukah’s API dropped from 151 at 8am to 99 at 1pm, while Miri fell from 114 to 94.
The other ‘Moderate’ readings were Limbang at 86, ILP Miri 85, Lawas 81, and Bario 70.
Under the API classification, readings of 0-50 are Good, 51-100 Moderate, 101-200 Unhealthy, and 201-300 Very Unhealthy.
Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said the haze situation was occurring amid persistent dry weather in parts of the southern Asean region.
In a statement today, she cited the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC) Sept 23 report, which recorded 792 hotspots in Kalimantan and 75 in Sumatra. No hotspots were detected in Malaysia, including Sarawak.
Azuri said ASMC had also reported moderate transboundary smoke haze over northwestern Borneo, with moderate to thick smoke plumes observed from clusters of hotspots in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra.
She added that the DOE would continue monitoring fire risks, particularly in peatland areas and landfill sites, while strengthening inspections and patrols in areas vulnerable to open burning.
“The DOE will not compromise on any open burning found to have resulted from human activities, particularly where such activities contribute to deteriorating air quality,” she said.
Azuri also reminded the public that open burning offences under the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024 could carry fines ranging from RM25,000 to RM1 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
The public is urged to refrain from open burning and report any fire or open burning incident to the Fire and Rescue Department through 999 or the DOE’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727.
In recent weeks, a thick shroud of smoke has enveloped some Asean states again. While the bloc has instituted some policies to mitigate its effects, enforcement and making them work effectively is critical.
Early this month, haze from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia drifted as far as the southern Philippines. Closer to the source, visibility at Supadio Airport in Pontianak fell to about 100 metres, preventing the aircraft carrying Indonesia’s forestry minister from landing. Since August, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre has activated its highest alert level, Level 3, after detecting hotspots across Sumatra and Kalimantan. Malaysia has asked Indonesia permission to conduct cloud seeding over Indonesian territory. Singapore has also issued daily haze advisories to help the public plan activities and events.
The pattern is familiar. For nearly three decades, Asean has built mechanisms to prevent, monitor and respond to haze, yet the problem continues to occur. Asean introduced the Regional Haze Action Plan in 1997, focusing on prevention, mitigation and monitoring. In 2002, it adopted the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP), the region’s first legally-binding agreement dedicated to the issue. Since then, Asean has built a relatively comprehensive system for haze cooperation. The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) monitors hotspots, weather conditions and smoke movement, while the AATHP provides a framework for joint responses and assistance when fires escalate.
The re-occurrence of smoke haze is an especially revealing test of Asean credibility because, unlike many of Asean’s other transboundary challenges, it is predominantly an intra-Asean problem. The countries where the fires start and the countries that breathe the smoke are, with few exceptions, the same member states. This distinguishes haze from a challenge like the water security in the Mekong River. The river is shared by several Asean countries but flows from China, which is not an Asean member. China’s dam-building and water management decisions have major implications for downstream communities and ecosystems, limiting Asean’s influence over some of the river’s most consequential decisions.
If haze, unlike the Mekong, is a problem Asean’s own members largely cause and largely suffer, it raises an obvious question: why has the region struggled to address it through its own institutions?
The challenge lies in a basic tension at the heart of Asean cooperation. Haze crosses borders, but individual member countries are largely responsible for their occurrence. The fires are largely concentrated mainly in Indonesia, where land use, plantation licensing, forest management and law enforcement are primarily domestic matters. Asean can share information, coordinate responses and provide assistance, but it has limited authority to direct or influence how a member state manages its own territory. This reflects Asean’s long-standing principle of non-interference, which is a double-edged sword: the principle has helped sustain cooperation among countries with different political systems, but which also restricts how far Asean can go in addressing a problem whose effects are shared across borders.
KUCHING (Sept 24): Three air quality monitoring stations in Sarawak recorded “Very Unhealthy” Air Pollutant Index (API) readings at 5pm today, with Lubok Antu entering the category while Serian improved to the “Unhealthy” level.
According to the Natural Resources and Environment Board’s (NREB) API Status for Sarawak, Kanowit recorded the highest reading at 216, unchanged from 1pm, followed by Lundu at 209, down from 219.
Lubok Antu’s API rose from 198 to 203, pushing it into the “Very Unhealthy” category, while Serian’s reading fell from 210 to 200.
Among the 12 stations recording “Unhealthy” air quality, Kapit recorded the biggest increase, with its API rising from 121 at 1pm to 133 at 5pm.
Kuching’s reading eased from 193 to 188, while Tebedu fell from 194 to 188 and Samarahan from 185 to 179.
The other “Unhealthy” readings were recorded in Betong (173), Sri Aman (172), Belaga (165), Bintulu (162), Sarikei (157), Sibu (156) and Samalaju (155).
Six stations recorded “Moderate” air quality: Mukah (99), Miri (85), Limbang (81), ILP Miri (80), Lawas (72) and Bario (70).
Mukah and Bario recorded no change from 1pm, while the other four stations registered lower readings.
Under the API classification, readings of 0 to 50 are considered “Good”, 51 to 100 “Moderate”, 101 to 200 “Unhealthy” and 201 to 300 “Very Unhealthy”.
Meanwhile, Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said the haze was occurring amid persistent dry weather in parts of the southern Asean region.
In a statement, she cited the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC) Sept 23 report, which recorded 792 hotspots in Kalimantan and 75 in Sumatra. No hotspots were detected in Malaysia, including Sarawak.
Azuri said the ASMC had also reported moderate transboundary smoke haze over north-western Borneo, with moderate to thick smoke plumes observed from clusters of hotspots in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra.
She said the DOE would continue monitoring fire risks, particularly in peatland areas and landfill sites, while intensifying inspections and patrols in areas vulnerable to open burning.
“The DOE will not compromise on any open burning found to have resulted from human activities, particularly where such activities contribute to deteriorating air quality,” she said.
Azuri also reminded the public that offences involving open burning under the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024 carry fines ranging from RM25,000 to RM1 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
The public is urged to refrain from open burning and report any fire or open burning incidents to the Fire and Rescue Department via 999 or the DOE’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727.
KATHMANDU, Sept 24 — The tsunami-like flood that cut a swathe of destruction through Nepal on August 26 has left the Himalayan nation grappling with heavy losses and mounting reconstruction needs.
One month on, AFP looks at the scale of the disaster triggered by a high-altitude glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, which scientists have linked to climate change.
‘Bullet train’ of debris
On August 26 at 8.37am (08.52am Malaysia time), a mass of ice and rock broke away from the north face of Nepal’s Langtang Lirung mountain, sending a huge mass of debris racing down the valley.
The collapse began at an altitude of about 5,200 metres with a section more than a kilometre (0.6 miles) wide and extending roughly 700 metres vertically.
That mass of rock and ice plunged about 800 metres onto a debris-covered glacier, before surging downhill, briefly damming the Lhende River. Water and debris then burst downstream.
The debris travelled about 20 kilometres, dropping 1,700 metres at Rasuwagadhi in only seven minutes, said Sudan Bikash Maharjan, a geologist with the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
“The elevation difference is high, within a very short length,” Maharjan told AFP. “So it just rushed down like a bullet train.”
Heavy toll
Nepal’s disaster authority says 1,451 bodies have been recovered from the rubble and mud, while more than 5,700 people are missing.
Among the missing are hundreds of workers from hydropower projects swept away by the disaster, along with hundreds more foreigners including tourists and pilgrims caught in the floodwaters.
Identifying victims through DNA has proved a major challenge for Nepali authorities.
With morgues overwhelmed, many bodies have been buried in mass graves after their DNA was recorded.
So far, only about 100 bodies have been identified.
On the Chinese side, where apocalyptic images showed a border post obliterated, state media have reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing.
Rescue operations
Hundreds of rescuers, many deployed by helicopter, have spent weeks digging through mud and debris in search of survivors.
There have been rare breakthroughs. In Nepal, three workers — two Nepalis and a Chinese man — were rescued alive from tunnels under construction where they had been trapped.
One of them, 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, told AFP he survived 10 days in darkness by drinking muddy water and praying.
“I survived thanks to my deep faith and trust,” he said.
Rescuers continue to recover bodies from the vast expanse of sticky grey mud.
Aid efforts
The disaster has affected more than 80,000 people. Thousands who lost everything are living in emergency shelters.
The United Nations has launched an urgent appeal for nearly US$50 million in emergency aid.
Many communities near the epicentre remain cut off, with the UN and the Nepali government delivering supplies by helicopter and cargo drone.
Several countries have pledged financial support for Nepal, amounting to a few million dollars — far below the scale of the disaster.
Economic hit
Nepal estimates the reconstruction bill will amount to US$4.78 billion.
Of that, US$57 million is needed for short-term reconstruction and recovery over the next six months.
The floods have cut Nepal’s electricity generation capacity — mainly hydropower — by 10 per cent, with the energy sector accounting for half of the total infrastructure damage from the disaster.
The floods have cut Nepal’s hydropower generation capacity as well as total electricity generation capacity by 10 per cent, with the energy sector accounting for half of the total infrastructure damage from the disaster.
Nepal’s economy is already under pressure, with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale.
The World Bank estimates 82 per cent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at US$1,447 in 2024.
Climate change
From the first hours after the disaster, experts pointed to climate change as a contributing factor.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said the disaster was not caused by a single extreme weather event, but a “compound crisis” shaped by long-term warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw and geological instability.
“There is no doubt that climate change is one of the drivers,” said Friederike Otto, a professor of climate science at Imperial College London.
Nepal’s leaders say the country needs long-term international support to adapt to a rapidly changing mountain environment.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged the world to recognise the dangers of climate change and act quickly. — AFP