PORTAL RASMI
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
Western Australia shuts down iron mining hub as Cyclone Zelia strengthens with over 160kph wind speeds
- Admin UKK
- Berita
SYDNEY, Feb 13 — A severe tropical cyclone was rapidly building strength off Australia’s minerals-rich west coast on Thursday, whipping up destructive winds and forcing the closure of a global iron ore-shipping hub.
Government forecasters said Cyclone Zelia was expected to build into a category five system – the strongest on the scale – before making landfall on Friday afternoon.
Port Hedland, one of the world’s largest iron ore loading ports, has cleared vessels and shut down in anticipation.
“It will continue to rapidly develop today and then start moving towards the coast,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said.
Narramore said the cyclone would bring “damaging and destructive winds” stronger than 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour.
Gusts could be as strong as 290 kilometres (180 miles) an hour near the centre, he said.
Category five systems are “extremely dangerous” and can cause “widespread destruction of buildings”, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
“That’s why we are so concerned about our residents through this part of the Pilbara coast,” Narramore said.
“It is an intense and dangerous system.”
The cyclone was likely to land near Port Hedland – about 17 hours’ drive north of state capital Perth – before tracking inland across sparsely populated mining and cattle country.
Emergency Services Western Australia urged residents to tie down trampolines and board up exposed windows.
“There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a cyclone is approaching the area.”
The northwest coast of Western Australia is the most cyclone-prone region in the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It also has “the highest incidence of cyclones in the southern hemisphere”.
The region holds significant deposits of iron ore, copper and gold, and is home to some of Australia’s largest mining operations. — AFP
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is ramping up efforts to address road damage, water supply issues, and project delays, with key agencies set to meet next week to coordinate solutions.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said all district engineers and concessionaires under the Sabah Public Works Department (PWD) will be called for a meeting following concerns raised by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor during a recent state cabinet meeting.
“The meeting will focus on minimising potholes across the state within an acceptable time frame. At the same time, we are implementing short, medium and long-term plans to improve water supply based on different areas,” he told reporters after officiating a Chap Goh Mei celebration in Putatan on Wednesday (Feb 12).
Meanwhile, the Works Department said PWD is taking decisive steps to repair roads damaged by recent floods and landslides, with emergency measures in place to restore access to affected areas.
“PWD is updating reports on complaints and damages caused by the recent floods, as some areas are still affected. If a road is cut off, they will take emergency action to repair it or provide a temporary alternative route that is safe for use,” he said.
He stressed that maintaining key transport links is a top priority, adding that extensive damage may require immediate design works and recovery efforts.
Shahelmey also highlighted the government’s efforts to address project delays, revealing that many of the 400 projects previously reported as stalled were actually terminated and are now being revived.
“We will hold monthly monitoring meetings to identify projects that can be implemented as soon as possible. We are also requesting a detailed breakdown to determine which projects have yet to commence,” he explained.
At the Chap Goh Mei celebration, Shahelmey urged Putatan residents to uphold unity, stressing that a strong community is essential for continued development and prosperity.
The event drew around 1,000 attendees, featuring a traditional lion dance and the distribution of angpau to senior citizens, children, and other guests.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki threatens to blow again, Indonesia issues highest alert and orders evacuations in Flores
- Admin UKK
- Berita
JAKARTA, Feb 13 — Indonesian authorities raised the alert level for an eastern volcano to its highest level on Thursday, widening an exclusion zone and ordering half a dozen villages to evacuate before a possible eruption.
In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the tourist island of Flores erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to Bali and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
The latest emergency measures around the 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano came after increased seismic and volcanic activity.
“The results of visual monitoring and seismic activity showed... a sudden increase in volcanic earthquakes,” Indonesia geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement Thursday.
“An eruption could potentially occur in the future.”
The heightened activity led to the alert level being raised to the highest of a four-tiered system starting from 3:00 am (1900 GMT Wednesday), Wafid said.
He also warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow.
Wafid later told a press conference that an exclusion zone had been widened from five to six kilometres (three miles) around the crater.
“This includes six villages that must be evacuated,” he said, without specifying the number of residents there.
Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman”.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. — AFP
MIRI (Feb 10): It is very challenging for the flood victims in Sibuti to carry out post-floods clean-up works without having a proper waste disposal facility, said a Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader.
In highlighting this, PKR Sibuti branch chief Zulhaidah Suboh called upon the local authorities to take immediate action, including making roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) bins available for the victims.
“The absence of RoRo bins has forced residents to leave waste piling up outside their houses, creating both an eyesore and a health hazard.
“The area has begun to emit an unpleasant smell, which is not only uncomfortable as it also poses a health risk to the community, especially to the young and elderly residents,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Earlier, she conducted an inspection on the waste disposal site in Bekenu town where she found piles of damaged goods left unattended, due to the lack of a proper waste management solution.
“Despite repeated calls for the RoRo bins, the local authorities have yet to take action,” said Zulhaidah.
In this aspect, she reiterated the call for the authorities to improve the provision of proper waste management options, including RoRo bins, in the residential and commercial areas, as well as villages and longhouses, affected by the floods.
“The authorities must take immediate action to ensure that the residents can continue their clean-up works safely and properly.
“This is crucial for public health and safety, especially in preventing further harm to those already affected by the disaster,” she stressed.
KUCHING, 12 Feb: Kerajaan Sarawak terus mengorak langkah dalam mempercepatkan pembangunan infrastruktur menerusi kaedah pembiayaan alternatif, sebagai penyelesaian kepada cabaran pembiayaan konvensional yang bergantung kepada peruntukan Rancangan Malaysia.
Timbalan Menteri Infrastruktur dan Pembangunan Pelabuhan Sarawak, Datuk Aidel Lariwoo, menegaskan bahawa pendekatan itu bukan sahaja mempercepatkan pelaksanaan projek tetapi juga mengurangkan impak kenaikan kos bahan binaan dan inflasi jangka panjang.
“Kalau kita hanya menunggu dana daripada Rancangan Malaysia, prosesnya akan mengambil masa yang lebih lama dan kos pembinaan pula terus meningkat dari tahun ke tahun.
“Dengan pendekatan Alternative Financing ini, kita dapat memastikan projek infrastruktur dapat dilaksanakan lebih cepat, memberikan manfaat segera kepada rakyat,” katanya.
Beliau berucap pada Majlis Perasmian Program Kolaborasi Strategik Kerja Raya Malaysia 2025 di sini, hari ini. Majlis ini disempurnakan perasmiannya oleh Menteri Kerja Raya Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
Menurutnya, kejuruteraan nilai juga diterapkan dalam setiap projek bagi memastikan perbelanjaan yang efisien serta pulangan nilai yang maksimum.
Ini membolehkan Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Sarawak melaksanakan lebih banyak projek infrastruktur dalam tempoh lebih singkat berbanding kaedah konvensional.
Bagaimanapun, pelaksanaan projek infrastruktur di Sarawak tidak terlepas daripada cabaran utama termasuk kenaikan kos, perubahan iklim dan keperluan transformasi digital.
Sementara itu, Pengarah JKR Sarawak, Cassidy Moris dalam ucapannya turut berkata peningkatan harga bahan binaan menjadi salah satu faktor utama yang memberi tekanan kepada projek-projek sedia ada.
“Kenaikan kos akan menambahkan lagi beban untuk kita melaksanakan projek. Sebab itu, kita perlu memastikan projek berjalan dengan lebih cepat bagi mengelakkan kos tambahan di masa hadapan,” katanya.
Selain itu, perubahan iklim turut memberi kesan kepada sektor pembinaan dengan kejadian tanah runtuh dan cuaca ekstrem menjadi cabaran utama yang dihadapi pasukan teknikal di lapangan.
“Baru-baru ini, kita sangat tertekan sebab tanah runtuh dan ini adalah impak daripada perubahan iklim. Kita perlu mencari pendekatan lebih mampan untuk mengurangkan risiko ini dalam projek-projek akan datang,” jelasnya.
Dalam menghadapi cabaran ini, transformasi digital menjadi keutamaan untuk memastikan projek dapat dipantau dengan lebih cekap dan telus.
Kerjasama antara agensi kerajaan dan industri pembinaan dijangka memainkan peranan penting dalam memperkukuh sistem pengurusan projek di Sarawak.
Dengan pendekatan pembiayaan alternatif dan strategi mitigasi cabaran yang komprehensif, Sarawak kini berada di landasan yang kukuh untuk merealisasikan pembangunan infrastruktur yang lebih mampan dan berimpak tinggi bagi rakyat. – TVS