National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) director-general Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said the donated items included personal care kits, hygiene kits, financial assistance and school aid.

He said the distribution was made possible through a strong collaborative network involving district and state disaster management committees, the Resident’s Office, the Royal Malaysian Air Force, GLC Demi Rakyat dan Negara, Ihsan Johor, Sukarelawan Anak Malaysia, Yayasan Foodbank Malaysia, the Department of Youth and Sports, and various volunteer organisations (NGOs).

“All aid was delivered in phases through various means, including air transport for Sabah and Sarawak. This ensured that the aid reached the victims as quickly as possible,” he said in a statement today.

The latest aid shipment from NGOs was delivered to flood-affected areas on Feb 15, comprising eight tonnes of ready-to-eat food packs and 5,000 family essentials kits weighing 47 tonnes.

In addition to providing compassionate aid of RM1,000 to household heads registered at relief centres,  Khairul Shahril said NADMA has established strategic collaborations with its registered partner NGO, known as ‘Rakan NADMA’.

“Rakan NADMA is involved in managing and coordinating aid distribution. To ensure smooth delivery, NADMA coordinated efforts between Rakan NADMA and representatives from disaster management committees.

“We greatly appreciate the close cooperation between state governments, NGOs, corporate bodies, and youth volunteers in delivering post-disaster aid. Effective coordination and communication have ensured that aid reached disaster victims quickly and systematically,” he said.

At the same time, he advised the public to remain vigilant about weather warnings issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department and to follow instructions from the authorities to prevent unwanted incidents, as the MTL season is still not over.

KUALA LUMPUR — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) will hold a National Committee on Haze and Dry Weather meeting which will also be attended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) on March 5.

NRES Minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said the meeting will be held following forecast by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) that the country will experience relatively hot and dry weather in several areas across the country in the next few months.

“Of course, we admit that there is no integration between weather forecasts and specific crop and harvest calendars to help farmers plan agricultural activities based on weather data now.

“However, MetMalaysia will hold discussions with KPKM for the purpose of the integration. Currently, MetMalaysia shares meteorological information and data on the Public Sector Open Data Portal (DTSA) and has developed the MET Application Programming Interface (METAPI) to facilitate data integration,” he said during a question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) who wanted to know the ministry’s proposal to integrate the weather forecast system with the crop and harvest calendar to help farmers plan agricultural activities based on weather data. 

Nik Nazmi said MetMalaysia also provides the Agricultural Meteorological Outlook and Weather Bulletin every month on the department’s website, which is used as a guide to the weather for various agricultural agencies.

The agricultural agencies involved are the Department of Agriculture Malaysia, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) and agricultural industry entrepreneurs.

“This report provides analysis and information regarding the total rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, evaporation and solar radiation every month,” he said.

To monitor the dry and hot weather conditions in the country, he said MetMalaysia implemented various initiatives including monitoring the daily maximum temperature to determine the status of hot weather throughout the country and reporting the number of days without rain every day.

In addition, the provision of information and forecasts of areas at risk of burning through the Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) which is updated daily, monitoring the status of El Nino and La Nina which is updated monthly and the production of a drought monitoring index which is updated monthly.

PETALING JAYA – Empat negeri iaitu Kelantan, Terengganu serta pedalaman Perak dan Kedah berpotensi mengalami hujan berterusan dalam pada Sabtu hingga Selasa depan.

Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Meteorologi (MetMalaysia), Dr. Mohd. Hisham Mohd. Anip berkata, ia susulan analisis terhadap model-model ramalan cuaca terkini menunjukkan luruan monsun dijangka memasuki rantau negara bermula pada tempoh berkenaan.

KUALA LUMPUR - Sisa elektronik (e-waste) yang melalui proses tidak terkawal boleh menyebabkan pelbagai risiko kesihatan serta pencemaran alam sekitar.

Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS), Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar berkata, pelbagai bahan kimia boleh dilepaskan ketika proses peleburan e-waste termasuk logam berat seperti arsenik yang boleh menyebabkan kanser.

"Jika hasil sampingan kilang haram ini tidak disimpan dengan betul, ia boleh meresap ke dalam tanah dan mencemari tanah atau sungai.

"Kita mendapati banyak kilang haram ini tidak mempunyai sistem penapisan corong asap yang betul," katanya pada sidang akhbar di Bukit Aman di sini pada Khamis.

Hadir sama, Pengarah Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri dan Ketenteraman Awam (KDNKA) Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim.

Menurut Wan Abdul Latiff, e-waste dikategorikan sebagai buangan terjadual dengan kod SW110 sebagaimana dinyatakan di bawah Jadual Pertama, Peraturan-Peraturan Kualiti Alam Sekeliling (Buangan Terjadual) 2005, Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974.

"Buangan e-waste daripada pemasangan elektrikal dan elektronik yang mengandungi komponen-komponen seperti akumulator, suis raksa, kaca daripada tiub sinar katod dan kaca teraktif atau kapasitor bifenil terpoliklorin yang lain atau yang dicemari dengan kadmium, raksa, plumbum, nikel, kromium, litium, perak, mangan atau bifenil terpoliklorin.

"Selain itu peralatan elektrik dan elektronik yang telah tamat tempoh hayat, tidak boleh lagi digunakan dan hendaklah dilupuskan secara mesra alam di kemudahan-kemudahan yang dilesenkan oleh JAS," ujarnya.

Menurutnya, tahun lalu, JAS sudah melakukan 44 pemeriksaan ke atas kilang yang memproses e-waste secara haram, lapan diarahkan tutup manakala baki sedang dalam siasatan.