MARANG: All locations of vote tallying and polling centres in the Nenggiri state by-election in Gua Musang, Kelantan, are at low risk of any untoward incident involving fire and floods.
Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said this was the result of inspections carried out by the Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department in all the locations involved.
"We also collaborated with the Election Commission (EC) to ensure that the security teams and election workers at the centres would know how to use basic tools to prevent fires such as fire extinguishers.
"On the risk of floods, Nenggiri is located in the upstream area of the river. So, the possibility of flooding is low because of the high ground and the strong current of the river.
"However, the department is always ready for any eventuality,” he told reporters after attending the closing ceremony of the 2024 Fire and Rescue Department Marching Competition at the Malaysian East Region Fire and Rescue Academy, here on Wednesday (Aug 7).
The Nenggiri by-election, slated for Aug 17, was called after Kelantan State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat vacant on June 19 because its assemblyman, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, had ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.
The by-election sees a straight fight between Barisan Nasional candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani representing the unity government and PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail representing Perikatan Nasional.
On another development, Nor Hisham said the department received 3,200 calls regarding open fire incidents during the Southwest Monsoon which began in May.
"Last month alone, there was a steep increase in the calls we received, amounting to 1,800 which is triple the 610 calls recorded in June.
"At the end of July there was also an incident that caused concern involving an open fire at a landfill in Teluk Panglima Garang, Selangor, which took us nine days to put it out,” he said.
While the presence of rain reduced the risk of open fires, he said it would pose the risk of flash floods in flood-prone areas, as what happened in Penampang, Sabah, last month, and in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang, on Tuesday (Aug 6).- Bernama
