MIRI (March 9): Following the recent floods that have heavily affected the Subis district here, the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Lutong has distributed 166 school bags to the flood-affected children there.

The initiative was meant to ease burdens on families who were struggling to recover from the flood, while ensuring that their children had the necessary supplies for the new academic year, said JCI Lutong.

“The recent floods have caused significant losses for many families, leaving students without essential school supplies,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The donations, it added, were made possible through public contribution, including RM1,000 from JCI Lo-Tung, Taiwan, as well as from JCI Lutong members and past presidents.

“The overwhelming support from various contributors demonstrates the power of community collaboration in times of crisis.

“JCI Lutong remains committed to community service, continuously implementing programmes that focus on education, youth empowerment, and social support,” it said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak negeri terbaharu dilanda banjir melibatkan daerah Lawas manakala situasi bencana itu di Sabah semakin buruk dengan jumlah mangsa yang berlindung di pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS), semakin meningkat setakat malam tadi.

Di SARAWAK, 35 penduduk dari empat kampung di Trusan, Lawas dipindahkan ke PPS yang dibuka di Dewan Trusan semalam.

Jurucakap Pusat Gerakan Operasi (PGO) Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Sarawak dalam kenyataan memaklumkan anggota Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat Lawas digerakkan ke lokasi pada 10 pagi setelah menerima panggilan paras air Sungai Trusan mencatatkan 0.91 meter.

Mangsa terlibat adalah dari Kampung Ranau (10 orang), Kampung Lubuk Abai (enam), Kampung Seberang Kedai Trusan (14) dan Kampung Murud Suang Trusan (lima).

Operasi pemindahan yang dibantu pihak polis, Angkatan Pertahanan Awam (APM), Jabatan Sukarelawan, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, Pejabat Daerah Trusan dan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat tamat pada 4.55 petang.

Di SABAH, jumlah mangsa banjir meningkat kepada 1,010 orang daripada 325 keluarga setakat 8 malam tadi berbanding 522 orang daripada 154 keluarga, 4 petang semalam.

Sekretariat Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Negeri Sabah dalam kenyataan memaklumkan sebanyak 20 kampung terjejas iaitu masing-masing 10 di Beaufort dan Membakut dengan trend pemindahan mangsa meningkat.

Menurut kenyataan, 780 orang daripada 249 keluarga dipindahkan di dua PPS di Beaufort iaitu PPS Dewan Selagon dan PPS Dewan Dun Banir manakala 230 orang daripada 76 keluarga berlindung di satu PPS di Membakut yang dibuka semalam iaitu Dewan Kesenian Islam Membakut.

Di MELAKA, situasi banjir pulih sepenuhnya selepas PPS Sekolah Kebangsaan Parit Penghulu, Sungai Rambai, Jasin ditutup pada 5.45 petang tadi.

Pengarah APM negeri Lt Kol (PA) Kamarulsyah Muslim berkata empat orang daripada satu keluarga terakhir yang berlindung di PPS itu telah dibenarkan pulang ke rumah mereka di Jalan Simen, Batu Gajah petang semalam. – BERNAMA

KOTA BHARU: Kerajaan Kelantan menafikan dakwaan pihaknya menyalahguna peruntukan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk projek tebatan banjir.

Menteri Besar, Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud berkata dakwaan dana projek tebatan banjir daripada Kerajaan Pusat disalah guna kerajaan negeri untuk diberi kepada Ahli Parlimen sehingga projek tidak siap, adalah fitnah serta bohong.

Tebatan banjir bukan projek kerajaan negeri dan dari segi tawaran kepada kontraktor juga dibuat oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

"Pembayaran juga dibuat oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan dan tidak melalui kerajaan negeri. Janganlah kita sebar benda bohong.

"Orang ini (yang bagi kenyataan) jawatan besar, jadi macam mana boleh berlaku macam ni, ...mengaji (belajar) tengok (peringkat) doktor falsafah (PhD).

"Biasa PhD bercakap berdasarkan fakta kerana orang PhD buat kajian dan fakta bukan setakat salah ini memang fitnah. Tidak boleh," katanya dalam ucapan yang dimuatnaik di Facebook, malam tadi.

Terdahulu tular satu podcast yang disyaki seorang penjawat awam kononnya menerangkan khabar angin bahawa Perdana Menteri marah sebab duit tebatan banjir masuk kepada akaun kerajaan negeri dan diagihkan kepada Ahli Parlimen pembangkang yang tidak mendapat peruntukan.

Sehubungan itu, Mohd Nassuruddin mengingatkan bahawa semua yang ditulis dan diucap setiap individu dicatat oleh malaikat.

PETALING JAYA: The west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is expected to be hit by thunderstorms and flash floods, especially urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, with the arrival of the inter-monsoon season next month.

Climatologist Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang said the southwest monsoon will bring dry and hot weather and possibly hazy skies, especially if forest fires break out not only within the country but also in the south of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“As we progress into the rest of March and the next few months, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (Bsiso) could exert their impact on weather and short-term climatic conditions of either dry and hot or wet conditions depending on the phases of these phenomena.

“We will also face the equinox on March 21.

“Without sufficient cloud cover, the equinox can increase incoming solar radiation and surface heat absorption. This can also drive heat waves if it is present during the suppressed convection phase of MJO,” said Tangang, who is a fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

MJO is a tropical weather pattern that moves eastward around the globe, bringing alternating periods of rainfall and dry conditions every 30 to 60 days.

Quite similar to MJO is Bsiso, which is specifically active during the Northern Hemisphere summer between May and October.

It consists of 30 to 90-day oscillations that move northward and eastward, affecting South-East Asian monsoons and weather patterns.

Tangang said according to the Apec Climate Centre, there is a 70% likelihood of temperature in the region to be above normal for the rest of the year, which is possibly driven by global warming and rising greenhouse gases concentration.

Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation climatologist and meteorological expert Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said with the country currently undergoing La Nina weather conditions, cloudy skies are shielding against solar radiation and keeping temperatures lower.

“This means the radiation is evaporating water instead of being transformed into heat and raising the surface temperature.

“Hence, we may not see temperatures as high as 40ºC as that recorded in Chuping (Perlis) in the past under the El Nino phenomenon,” he said.

On concerns of water levels at dams during the southwest monsoon season, Azizan said as rain increases by up to 20% during La Nina, supply should be sufficient.

“However, water conservation and educating the public to be less wasteful is a good thing to promote. Some figures report that Malaysia’s per capita consumption of water is about 230 litres per day while Singapore’s is about 150 litres per day.

“We can also have more rain harvesting for industries that consume large amounts of water. To encourage conservation and recycling, we may need to consider the unpopular option of increasing water tariffs,” he said.