Keeping cool: A resident having his face wiped with a wet towel at the Persatuan Syukur Penyayang Pulau Pinang in George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Homes for senior citizens here are taking precautionary measures to ensure their residents stay safe and hydrated during the present dry spell.
Persatuan Syukur Penyayang Pulau Pinang founder Peter Tan said they are monitoring the haze situation closely.
“Our main concern is keeping our residents healthy. For now, they are doing well.
“At times, we also allow them to take their meals at the dining area, which is partially outdoors.
“We have some seniors who enjoy picking leaves within the compound but we always remind them to be careful and not to remain outdoors too long.
“At other times, they are usually around the dining area or inside the premises,” he said.
Tan, whose home has 41 residents aged between 50 and 93, said there are two asthma patients but their conditions are stable.
“We are monitoring the weather daily and if it gets worse, we will not let them do outdoor activities.
“We also remind our residents to drink more water and take more baths due to the heat.
“In the rooms, we have an air cooler to help them deal with the weather as well,” he said.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in certain parts of the state have been leaning towards unhealthy levels in recent days with Batu Uban hitting 85 in the morning yesterday.
The mainland showed a reading of between 72 and 74.
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good, 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and above 301 is deemed hazardous.
Meanwhile, the haze coming in with the heat has resulted in the water levels at all three dams depleting.
The effective capacity at the Teluk Bahang dam and Ayer Itam dam are 49.1% and 44.8% respectively yesterday, a significant drop compared to 82.5% and 64% recorded on Jan 1 this year.
The Mengkuang dam capacity is currently at 89%.
State environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh cautioned the public to reduce their water usage during the dry spell.
“We are going to face a serious dry season from May to August this year, except for some rain in the late evenings.
“As we have one of the highest consumption rates of water in Malaysia, Penangites need to reduce usage by not wasting water.
“For example, reduce the frequency of washing car,” he said.
On April 14, Penang sought assistance from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to help carry out cloud seeding operations to avoid a potential water crisis.
Penang Water Supply Corporation chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said Nadma’s aid was needed to induce rainfall in the Ayer Itam and Teluk Bahang dams on Penang island.
“Due to climate change, low rainfall was recorded in both dams.
“The effective capacities of these two dams have been projected to drop further towards critical levels if the current dry season prolongs till August,” he said.
