AS Malaysians sweat it out in the current heatwave, climatologists are urging people to conserve water and take precautionary measures to avoid falling ill.

Water conservation should be taken seriously, with Universiti Sains Malaysia’s water expert Professor Chan Ngai Weng urging Putrajaya to issue a national water conservation alert.

“Malaysians need to have awareness in water conservation and must be mobilised to save and use water wisely, and report all water leakages immediately during this hot and dry season.

“We must also get the minister on television and radio and in the newspapers to start this water-saving campaign,” the lecturer from USM’s School of Humanities’ geography department told The Malaysian Insight.

Since January, many parts of the peninsula, especially the west coast, have been experiencing hot and dry spells, leading to concerns about reduced water levels in dams and rivers.

Chan, who is also president of civil society organisation Water Watch Penang, recommended 20 water-saving tips, including cutting down on showers, car wash and outdoor activities and collecting used water for watering plants and flushing the toilet.

“From my observation, it is true that Malaysians lack awareness here. We do use more water compared with many other countries.

“Some people shower more than twice a day. We also have leakages here and there. We should improve on our awareness and reduce water consumption,” he said.

April rains?

The hot and dry spell is forecast to end next month with April rains arriving during the inter-monsoon season, but Ramzah said no one can could really tell with the weather being unpredictable these days.

The Universiti Malaysia Sabah climatologist said based on convention, the heat should be cooling off by the end of next month or by early May with the rains.

However, the much-needed rain might also be delayed, with the El Niño weather pattern being unpredictable, he said.

“El-Niño can be prolonged. The El-Niño phenomenon is caused by the changes in temperature in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

“This behaviour that determine the weather is unpredictable,” said Ramzah, who was formerly deputy secretary-general at the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.

El Niño is a climate pattern that describes the abnormal warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

The phenomenon, with irregular cycles that last two to seven years, impacts on ocean temperatures, the speed and strength of currents, health of coastal fisheries and local weather.

It can bring rain to some regions and droughts to others. The 1997-98 El Niño phenomenon caused droughts in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The Super El-Niño in 2016 also brought prolonged drought in Malaysia, disrupting the rice-planting season.

“Due to climate change, the weather is now unpredictable. We may see the hot and dry spell prolonged until the middle of the year. This is why the call for water conservation should be taken seriously,” Ramzah said.

On Sunday, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said 21 areas in nine states were at Level 1 alert with temperatures ranging between 35°C and 37°C.

“Normal temperatures are between 30°C and 35°C. So temperatures of 37°C to 40°C are slightly higher than normal.

“If the April rains don’t come next month, it is likely other areas will be recording such high temperatures. A delay in the rain is possible, but I think it will come,” he said.

Keeping safe

Penang Medical Practitioners Society secretary Dr Parmjit Singh said the hot weather caused dehydration and people should keep themselves hydrated to prevent falling sick.

Some patients could experience breathing problems related to asthma, headaches and muscle cramps.

“During times like these, pharyngitis cases at clinics are up. There are many complaints of throat irritation due to lack of water.

“This is why we tell people to take in lots of fluids. That is the only thing you can do in such weather, other than staying indoors,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Schools, he added, should also refrain from holding outdoor activities in the afternoon. – March 19, 2019.