KUCHING, 11 Ogos: Sarawak Energy menggalakkan pengguna menggunakan elektrik secara berhemah susulan keadaan cuaca panas dan kering berpanjangan yang turut disertai jerebu di Sarawak ketika ini.

Menurut Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), keadaan berkenaan dijangka berterusan dalam tempoh beberapa minggu akan datang dan berpotensi meningkatkan penggunaan elektrik apabila orang ramai menggunakan penghawa dingin serta peralatan penyejuk lain untuk tempoh lebih lama.

“Pada masa sama, cuaca kering berpanjangan boleh menjejaskan sumber air yang menyokong penjanaan tenaga hidro.

“Sehubungan itu, pengguna dinasihatkan mengelakkan penggunaan elektrik yang tidak diperlukan, khususnya ketika permintaan tenaga berada pada tahap tinggi,” demikian menurut SEB dalam kenyataan, hari ini.

Antara langkah mudah yang boleh diamalkan ialah menetapkan penghawa dingin sekitar 24 darjah Celsius, menutup lampu dan peralatan elektrik apabila tidak digunakan serta mengelakkan penggunaan serentak beberapa peralatan berkuasa tinggi.

Bagi pengguna yang mempunyai meter pintar, mereka boleh menggunakan perkhidmatan digital Sarawak Energy menerusi aplikasi mudah alih dan portal web SEB cares bagi memahami, memantau serta mengurus penggunaan elektrik dengan lebih baik.

Ciri Energy Insights membolehkan pengguna menjejaki penggunaan elektrik mengikut jam, harian dan bulanan bagi mengenal pasti peluang menjimatkan tenaga serta mengurus kos.

SEB berkata, pihaknya terus memantau keadaan cuaca, sumber air dan permintaan elektrik serta mengambil langkah sewajarnya bagi menyokong kebolehpercayaan bekalan elektrik sepanjang tempoh berkenaan.

“Pengguna digalakkan memainkan peranan dengan menggunakan elektrik secara bertanggungjawab dan mengamalkan penjimatan tenaga,” katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Schools in Sarawak have been ordered to immediately halt all outdoor activities involving pupils in areas where the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading exceeds 100.

Sarawak Education Department director Omar Mahli said district education offices and educational institutions under the department had been reminded to prioritise the welfare, health and safety of pupils amid hot weather and haze, Utusan Malaysia reported today.

He said schools should postpone all outdoor activities if the weather was excessively hot and monitor activities that could expose pupils to such conditions to prevent their health from being affected.

“For areas recording API readings above 100, all outdoor activities involving pupils must be stopped,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Education Department School Management Sector deputy director Dr Les Anak Met stressed the need for continuous monitoring of API readings in respective areas, as well as the management of outdoor and co-curricular activities according to API levels and current directives from the authorities.

He said the health and safety of pupils and school staff should also be prioritised, particularly those with health conditions such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

“Schools are also reminded to ensure clear and effective communication with parents, while district education offices must continuously monitor schools under their supervision and provide updates to the Sarawak Education Department,” he said.

All district education offices and schools have also been urged to remain vigilant about haze conditions in their respective areas, comply with authorities’ directives and take proactive action based on the prevailing situation.

Meanwhile, the 53rd Sarawak Schools Sports Council (MSSS) Athletics Championship 2026, scheduled from August 10 to 14 at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Stadium, has been postponed due to unhealthy API readings in Samarahan.

As of 2pm today, 11 areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy API readings, with the Serian IPD air quality monitoring station recording the highest reading at 190.

According to information on the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) website, 10 other monitoring stations also recorded unhealthy readings, including Samarahan at 169, Kuching (165), Bintulu (159), Samalaju (155) and Mukah (154).

Sibu recorded an API reading of 154, Sri Aman (154), Sarikei (153), Miri (146) and the Industrial Training Institute (ILP) Miri (123), with all readings falling within the unhealthy category of between 101 and 200.

MANILA: Pejabat Pertahanan Awam (OCD) Filipina sedang mengesahkan laporan bahawa 19 orang maut susulan landaan Lekukan Tropika Luis dan Maymay serta monsun barat daya, manakala kira-kira 2.2 juta orang terjejas akibat siri gangguan cuaca berkenaan, lapor Agensi Berita Filipina (PNA).

Pegawai Penerangan Awam OCD Diego Mariano dalam mesej kepada wartawan pada Selasa berkata 12 daripada laporan kematian yang sedang disahkan itu adalah di Benguet, empat di Rizal dan tiga di Batangas.

OCD turut melaporkan 15 orang cedera, termasuk 12 di Benguet dan masing-masing seorang di Ilocos Sur, Rizal dan Cavite. Mariano berkata empat orang masih hilang iaitu tiga di Benguet dan seorang di Batangas.

Seramai 646,676 keluarga terjejas yang merangkumi 2,270,862 orang adalah di Wilayah Ilocos, Lembah Cagayan, Luzon Tengah, Wilayah Bicol, Visayas Barat, Semenanjung Zamboanga, Calabarzon, Wilayah Cordillera, Wilayah Ibu Negara dan Mimaropa.

Sebanyak 919 pusat pemindahan kini menempatkan kira-kira 26,174 keluarga yang terdiri daripada 94,997 individu.

Sementara itu, kerosakan infrastruktur dianggarkan berjumlah PHP1.46 juta manakala kerosakan sektor pertanian pula mencecah PHP135.33 juta. – BERNAMA-PNA

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 11 — The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has urged the public to stop open burning as transboundary haze from Kalimantan, Indonesia, has begun to affect air quality in the state.

Its director Mohd Pisar Aziz said haze had begun to cover areas including Kota Kinabalu and Kimanis following forest fires in the neighbouring region.

“Winds from southern and central Borneo are carrying thick smoke towards northern Borneo, affecting visibility and air quality in Sabah.

“Hot and dry weather also increases the risk of fires. Let us work together to prevent them, protect lives, property and the environment, as open burning is an offence,” he told Bernama today.

A check on the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) this afternoon showed that air quality in Sabah remained at the moderate level, with Kota Kinabalu recording the highest reading at 83, followed by Politeknik Kota Kinabalu at 81 and Kimanis at 76.

Mohd Pisar said high-risk groups, including asthma patients, children and the elderly, should take extra precautions despite the moderate API readings.

He said Keningau and Pitas had also recorded seven consecutive days without rain up to August 10, meeting the criteria for an open-burning ban.

The ban covers the open burning of rubbish, dry leaves, garden waste, construction waste and other materials that could worsen the haze, he said.

The public is advised to limit outdoor activities between 11am and 4pm, stay hydrated, wear face masks in hazy areas, and regularly check electrical wiring to prevent fires.

They should also avoid discarding cigarette butts carelessly and immediately report any suspicious activities or fires to JBPM via 999. — Bernama