OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
JAKARTA: Thousands of people were evacuated in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday after floods swamped the region, officials said, with heavy rain expected to continue until next week.
Torrential rain since Monday has triggered floods of up to 3-metres in and around Jakarta, the country's disaster agency said in a statement, blocking some roads and submerging over 1,000 houses and many cars.
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung raised the alert level to the second highest of the critical stages, calling on the local government to activate water pumps to extract water from flooded areas and conduct weather modification operations - which typically includes shooting salt flares into clouds to trigger rain before they reach land.
Local media reported floodwaters also swamped a hospital in the eastern town of Bekasi, with water entering some wards, forcing the evacuation of patients to other buildings, while other parts of the hospital were hit by power outages.
Rescuers on rubber boats sailed through thigh-high water to evacuate residents that had been trapped in floods since 4 a.m. (2100 GMT) at a housing complex in Bekasi, Reuters reporters said.
The country's weather agency warned that heavy rain is forecast to hit the capital and surrounding cities until March 11.
"We need to be alert... But hopefully the weather modification could reduce rainfall," said the agency's head Dwikorita Karnawati.
Sri Suyatni, 50, said she did not have time to collect her belongings before evacuating and her entire house was submerged in flood water. "I hope the floods will soon recede," she said.
The government has started building temporary shelters and distributing foods, clothes, and medications for the evacuees, said social affairs minister Saifullah Yusuf.
Residents were also evacuated to schools, mosques and churches.
The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, is regularly hit by floods. But several local media reported the current situation, particularly in Bekasi, was the worst since 2020.
Floods killed 60 in Jakarta in 2020, following the heaviest one-day rainfall since records began in 1866. — REUTERS
SYDNEY: Ketika suhu global terus meningkat akibat perubahan iklim, bandar-bandar dijangka berdepan risiko kebakaran yang semakin meningkat, menurut penyelidik Australia dan antarabangsa pada Selasa, lapor Xinhua.
Satu kajian pemodelan baharu yang diterbitkan dalam Nature Cities meramalkan, jenis kebakaran tertentu di kawasan bandar akan menjadi lebih kerap dalam dekad-dekad akan datang.
Penyelidik menganggarkan bahawa secara global, trend ini boleh menyebabkan tambahan 330,000 kematian akibat kebakaran dan lebih sejuta kecederaan antara 2020 hingga 2100.
Bagaimanapun, jika pemanasan global dapat dihadkan di bawah 1.5 darjah Celsius, jumlah kematian boleh dikurangkan sehingga separuh.
Bagi membuktikan kaitan ini, pasukan penyelidik antarabangsa menganalisis kejadian kebakaran serta suhu udara bulanan tertinggi di lebih 2,800 bandar merentasi 20 negara, termasuk Amerika Syarikat, China, Australia dan Britain, yang mewakili lebih 20 peratus populasi dunia.
Dapatan ini boleh digunakan untuk perancangan bandar masa depan serta strategi tindak balas kecemasan.
Penyelidik turut mengukur bagaimana kekerapan pelbagai jenis kebakaran bandar - seperti kebakaran bangunan, kebakaran kenderaan dan kebakaran luar di lokasi seperti tapak pelupusan sampah - berubah mengikut peningkatan suhu bagi menilai kesan pemanasan global terhadap pelbagai jenis kebakaran bandar.
Di bawah senario pelepasan gas rumah hijau yang tinggi, kebakaran kenderaan boleh meningkat sebanyak 11.6 peratus, kebakaran luar meningkat 22.2 peratus, manakala kebakaran bangunan dijangka berkurangan sebanyak 4.6 peratus menjelang 2100, menurut penyelidik dari Universiti Sains dan Teknologi China, Universiti RMIT Melbourne, Universiti Maritim Shanghai dan Universiti Charles Darwin, antara lain.
Mereka juga menganggarkan pemanasan global boleh menyumbang kepada kira-kira 335,000 kematian berkaitan kebakaran dan 1.1 juta kecederaan di semua bandar yang dianalisis antara 2020 dan 2100. - BERNAMA
KUANTAN: Kebakaran kawasan ladang kelapa di belakang Taman Perindustrian Malaysia-China Kuantan (MCKIP) Gebeng di sini sejak 22 Februari lalu, meningkat kepada 130 hektar hari ini.
Pengarah Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM) Pahang, Mohd Razam Taja Rahim berkata, kebakaran kembali merebak sejak kelmarin, susulan daripada angin kencang dan cuaca panas di kawasan terbabit.
Katanya, ketiadaan hujan di kawasan terbabit menambah lagi kesukaran dalam operasi pemadaman yang turut membabitkan pengeboman air yang dilakukan dengan menggunakan sebuah helikopter.
"Sebenarnya, kebakaran sudah terkawal dan hampir padam Jumaat lalu namun angin kencang pada Sabtu dan kelmarin menyebabkan kebakaran kembali merebak.
"Setakat ini, seluas 91.9 hektar berjaya dipadamkan manakala baki 78.6 hektar sedang diusahakan.
"Pada masa sama, kita menangguhkan operasi pemadaman pada waktu malam untuk mengelakkan risiko kemalangan.
"Alhamdulillah setakat ini tiada kemalangan membabitkan anggota bomba dan kita mendapat kerjasama penuh daripada kerajaan negeri, Pejabat Daerah Kuantan, Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS), Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) dan Pengurusan Air Pahang Berhad (PAIP)," katanya ditemui media di lokasi kebakaran.
Beliau berkata, lebih 70 anggota daripada 11 Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) di zon satu terbabit dalam operasi pemadaman.
Katanya, jika keadaan memerlukan, jumlah anggota bomba akan ditambah termasuk mendapatkan bantuan daripada anggota negeri berhampiran.
"Susulan kebakaran ini, saya menasihati masyarakat supaya tidak melakukan kebakaran terbuka atau aktiviti yang boleh menyebabkan risiko kebakaran pada musim panas ini," katanya.
KUANTAN: Haze has blanketed the state capital, Kuantan, and surrounding areas today, caused by a massive fire that has been raging through a coconut plantation for nearly two weeks.
The tall structures in the state capital, including Menara Kuantan 188 and the Kuantan City Council complex facing Sungai Kuantan, were barely visible at noon today.
Nonetheless, daily life in the busy state capital was not affected, with businesses operating as usual. The air quality remains at a moderate level.
Meanwhile, a food stall operator, who wanted to be known as Lim Chuen, told NST that he fears the situation could worsen in the coming days amid the hot and dry weather.
The trader said he had experienced the haze in previous years, which forced him and his workers to wear face masks while manning the stall.
"I hope it rains and the air quality improves," he added.
Although the air pollutant index (API) reading in Balok Baru, where the fire broke out on Feb 22, has shown improvement, the winds are carrying the thick smoke towards the town centre.
Pahang Department of Environment director Wandi Yadzid Yaakob said the current wind direction has brought the smoke from the peat fires in Balok Baru to other parts of Kuantan.
Balok Baru is situated along the coast, to the northeast of the state capital, Kuantan.
The region is also home to plantations, including coconut plantations, and is near popular coastal destinations such as Balok Beach.
Meanwhile, a health department spokesman said members of the public especially those with respiratory conditions are advised to wear face masks when leaving their homes and those feeling unwell should seek immediate medical treatment.
API readings are categorised as good between zero to 50; between 51 and 100 (moderate); between 101 and 200 (unhealthy); between 201 and 300 (very unhealthy); and above 301 (hazardous).
Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, yesterday expressed concerns over the huge fire and urged all outdoor activities to be suspended.
The peat soil fire has affected some 130ha with firemen still fighting to put out the blaze.
Environmentalists in Malaysia have raised significant concerns about the impacts of climate change on the nation's environment.
They warn that rising sea levels and temperatures are leading to more frequent floods, food and water shortages, increased water pollution, and more intense heatwaves.
In response to these challenges, Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability has updated the National Climate Change Policy, aiming for a 45 per cent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
ISKANDAR PUTERI – Sistem perparitan lama yang tidak lagi mampu menampung aliran air dipercayai menjadi punca utama banjir kilat yang melanda beberapa kawasan di Skudai pada petang Selasa susulan hujan lebat.
Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Skudai, Marina Ibrahim berkata, isu banjir kilat terbabit telah berulang kali dibangkitkan dalam mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Tindakan Pembangunan Daerah (JTPD) dan sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN).
Jelasnya, kawasan yang terjejas ialah Jalan Zapin 3, Jalan Ronggeng 4, Jalan Jelawat, Jalan Baung, Jalan Kilang Nanas, Kampung Poh Chee Leng, Syahbandar, SK, dan Jalan Laksamana.
“Kami telah melakukan lawatan tapak bersama pelbagai agensi. Penduduk tidak seharusnya menerima alasan bahawa ini hanya disebabkan oleh jumlah hujan yang tinggi.
“Ini bukan kali pertama atau kedua, tetapi berkali-kali dalam setahun penduduk terpaksa menghadapi masalah yang sama,” katanya ketika dihubungi pada Rabu.
Menurut Marina masalah utama berpunca daripada sistem perparitan lama yang berusia 30 hingga 40 tahun, tidak mampu menampung aliran air yang semakin meningkat.
“Saliran utama di Skudai tidak cukup besar untuk menampung jumlah air yang tinggi. Contohnya di Jalan Jelawat, terdapat satu paip besar dalam longkang yang menghalang aliran air.
"Saya telah menghantar surat agar satu sesi townhall dapat dilakukan seterusnya memberi penjelasan kepada penduduk mengenai perancangan pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT)," katanya.
Dalam pada itu, penduduk di Jalan Zapin merayu tindakan segera daripada pihak berkuasa untuk menangani masalah banjir yang semakin kerap melanda kawasan mereka sejak setahun kebelakangan ini.
Menurut seorang penduduk yang dikenali sebagai Dewi rumahnya yang berusia hampir 40 tahun jarang dinaiki air sebelum ini, namun dalam tempoh setahun, kejadian banjir sudah berlaku sebanyak dua kali.
Beberapa video tular di media sosial memaparkan keadaan banjir kilat di sekitar Skudai, dengan arus deras sehingga menyebabkan rumah penduduk dinaiki air serta kesesakan lalu lintas.
"Air sangat laju, sudah seperti sungai," kata seorang pengguna jalan raya yang berkongsi pengalaman mereka ketika kejadian.