-The Star filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: Cloud seeding will be carried out over dams and surrounding areas in Penang and Perak on Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb 27 and 28), the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the targeted locations are areas around the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams in Penang, and the Bukit Merah dam in Perak.
“This is part of early efforts to tackle receding water levels in those dams,” she said on Tuesday.
Nancy added that the water level at the Teluk Bahang dam was at 80%, with the Air Itam dam at 37% and Bukit Merah, 80%.
The Santubong MP said the success of the cloud seeding operations would depend on suitable atmospheric conditions such as high humidity and optimal wind speeds, among others.
“State governments that intend to carry out such operations can propose them to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
“The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) will also evaluate the suitability of such operations,” she added in reply to Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin), who asked about the government’s preparations for the hot season.
MetMalaysia had issued Level 1 heatwave warnings for northern states in the peninsula earlier this month.
A Level 1 warning is issued when temperatures at a location are between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.
On Monday (Feb 26), a similar warning was issued for 11 locations across Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak.
The entire state of Perlis is under Level 1.
In Kedah, the affected areas are Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Kota Setar, Pokok Sena, Pendang, Padang Terap, Sik and Baling.
In Penang and Perak, they are Seberang Perai and Kuala Kangsar respectively.
On a separate matter, Nancy said some RM168.959mil in cash aid had been distributed through Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) for victims of natural disasters during the 2022/23 north-east monsoon.
The aid was distributed to 168,959 heads of households, with each receiving RM1,000.
