Staying ready: Bandar Perda fire station personnel preparing equipment, such as a portable water pump engine and fire beaters, at the station in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
NIBONG TEBAL: In view of the current hot spell, the Fire and Rescue Department is closely monitoring 15 hotspots in Penang which are prone to open burning.
Department director Saadon Mokhtar said it was ready for any eventuality after identifying high-risk areas such as landfills, forests and cemetery grounds.
“We are ready for this extreme hot weather as the temperature can hit about 38°C,” he said.
He said among the high-risk areas susceptible to open burning are the Ampang Jajar Waste Transfer Station, Mak Mandin township and the Jelutong and Pulau Burung landfills.
He said the Chinese cemetery grounds in Paya Terubong and Padang Tembak, as well as the forest hill in Bukit Bendera, have also been marked as hotspots for open burning.
He added that the nine other areas were at Jalan Chain Ferry, Jalan New Ferry, Taman Bagan, Jalan Bagan Lalang, Bukit Tambun, Taman Nagasari, and areas near Bertam Golf Resort and Kampung Selamat.
Saadon said the department had also identified 13 hotspots for forest fires in the state.
In terms of equipment and personnel, Saadon said the department has four water tankers, each carrying 20,000 litres of water that can be used in the event of fires in the state.
He said there are over 800 firefighters and officers stationed at 20 fire stations and the headquarters in Batu Kawan on the mainland.
“There are slightly over 11,000 operational fire hydrants in the state. We do not face problems in securing water access points in open areas.
“We have also identified sources of open water that we can use in case there is a fire in Penang,” he said during the Hari Raya open house at the department’s headquarters in Jalan Batu Kawan.
In GEORGE TOWN, state exco member Zairil Khir Johari said Penang is concerned over the water level at the Ayer Itam dam as its reserves can only last for 40 days without rainfall.
This can spell trouble for the 30,000 consumers in Ayer Itam, Paya Terubong and the surrounding areas if the dry spell persists.
Zairiul, the state infrastructure and transport committee chairman, said water levels at the Ayer Itam and Teluk Bahang dams on the island have dropped significantly, well below the 50% mark.
Even after initial cloud seeding operations, the effective capacities of the Ayer Itam and Teluk Bahang dams were only 41.5% and 48.4% respectively as of May 7.On Jan 1 this year, the effective capacities of Ayer Itam and Teluk Bahang dams were 82.5% and 64% respectively.
Zairil said the drop in water levels was due to the low rainfall at the water catchment areas and high water consumption rates.
