Rainfall has dropped below normal and water sources are drying up, forcing more than 18,000 people to face water shortage while thousands more complain of catching flu and sore throats.

THE abnormal effects on the main components of climate — sunshine, temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, cloud formation and ocean currents — are now being felt.

The warmer waters of the Pacific are moving from east to west and in Sarawak, the people are bracing for another round of climatic onslaught.

El Nino, the natural phenomenon known to bring turmoil to global weather patterns, is back.

A strong El Nino is often associated with wet winters over southeastern US, as well as droughts in Indonesia and Australia.

While the El Nino effects are not guaranteed, the weather phenomenon does make them more likely to happen. And over the last couple of weeks or months, the impacts have already been seen and felt.

Droughts are hitting Indonesia and the surrounding regions. Forest fires burn furiously in Sumatra and Borneo, including Sarawak, forcing drivers to use their headlights even during daytime.

The haze travels thousands of miles all over the state, limiting visibility to about half km at times in some areas.

The strongest effect of El Nino now is on precipitation and temperature. And presently, the state is experiencing dry weather, low precipitation and rising temperatures.

The present El Nino is causing water shortage to more than 18,000 people throughout Sarawak. Rainfall has dropped below normal.

The state authorities are concerned that the levels of Sungai Sarawak Kiri and Gerugu Dam in Sarikei are receding.

The Kuching Water Board has reported very low capacity of water in Sungai Sarawak Kiri, the source of water supply for almost the whole of Kuching. Water rationing has already started in Simunjan and Sarikei.

“The water situation in Sarikei is getting very serious now. With continued rainless days, the capacity of the Gerugu Dam is only enough to last the next two days, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said.

The Gerugu Dam not only supplies Sarikei but also Tanjung Manis, Mukah and Belawai.

The prolonged dry spell may also see several schools in drought-stricken areas temporarily closed if they did not receive clean water supply.

Sarawak Education director Dr Julaihi Bujang recently said the dry season was being aggravated by the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak and students staying in the school hostels would be most affected by water shortage.

“So far, no school has to close temporarily but I have been informed several would be facing shortage of clean water and the problem has been referred to the relevant authorities,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Julaihi said among the residential schools found to be facing water shortage since the dry season began were Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Suai, near Miri and SMK Belawai, near Mukah.

Potable water has been sent to areas that depend on gravity feed.

State Public Works Department deputy director Safri Zainuddin said close to 400,000 gallons had been distributed throughout Sarawak as of last Friday.

Cloud seeding using flares, the latest technology, will begin on Aug 10 around the water catchment area of Sungai Sarawak Kiri and other parts of the state as rain clouds are expected to form in the wake of typhoon Morakot.

Temperatures in many parts of the state have reached 36°C.

The change is slight, just two to three degree Celsius, but it has dramatic effects. Periods of extremely hot weather can cause serious health problems.

Heat waves can cause death.

Illinois in the US experienced this first hand in July 1995 when extreme heat contributed to the deaths of over 700 people in the Chicago area.

Rising temperatures, volatile weather, more droughts spawned by El Nino, are going to affect our lives in many ways.

People have what is called a cistern to store water.

The problem is if the cistern is opened and people put their hands in, the water can become contaminated, especially when the people can’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom because of severe water shortage.

The extreme heat also helps encourage bacteria to grow.

More bacteria means more water-borne diseases like diarrhea, for instance.

What if the temperature or hot weather were made even worse by global warming? What would the impact on health be?

El Nino can drive temperatures up by as much as five degrees Celsius.

Dr Chan, who is also State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, said there were no specific reports on serious weather abnormalities affecting public health yet but he did not rule out the possibility of heat and water shortage affecting some people’s health.

thesundaypost visited several government clinics in the city and found all of them overstretched in coping with H1N1, climate fever and accident cases.

“At the moment, we cannot exactly tell if the hot weather is behind the increase in people seeking medical treatment at government clinics.

“However, the heat and haze may seriously affect those suffering from asthma and serious cold and fever, or even H1N1 patients,” Dr Chan noted.

He said water shortage due to drought would also have effects on public health, saying it could cause the spread of cholera and any other virus-related diseases such as H1N1.

“Cholera epidemic is common when there is not enough clean water. So are virus-related diseases that require one to wash one’s hands to prevent the diseases spreading,” he added.

Prolonged El Nino could destroy livelihoods.

For example, fishes that prefer colder waters are no longer found off the coast but thousands of miles further out.

This can devastate the livelihood of the fishermen and severely damage economies.

The warmer waters can also well up near the coastal sea, disrupting existing marine life.

In the past, the effects of El Nino had been observed on marine life as far away as Antarctica but it is not just marine life that suffer.

No specific reports of serious weather anomalies affecting agriculture have been received in Indonesia and Malaysia during the 1997 El Nino but certainly, over the last few months, significant deviations in weather patterns in the region and the adverse effects these have had on crop production and food supply, are causing concern.

The impact of El Nino will affect soil moisture conditions for planting any food crop.

In addition, insufficient rainfall and dry conditions may affect output of manufactured goods if these result in acute water shortage.

Prevailing dry conditions have also exacerbated fires that may affect agriculture and forest plantations and reduced water supplies.

Everyday, hundreds of hotspots are detected in Indonesia as well as Malaysia.

According to the Natural Resources and Environment Board website, 29 hotspots were spotted in Sarawak, nine in Sabah, 151 in Kalimantan and 117 in Sumatera on Thursday.

Dr Chan did not dismiss the possibility that some of the forest fires in Sarawak were due to open burning in plantations.

Over the past few weeks, there have been various reports of falling water reserves in dams and rivers in many parts of Sarawak.

As a result of the potential decline in domestic production due to water shortage, imports may increase next year to meet demand while prices of agricultural commodities may also rise.

Although food stocks held by the National Food Security Department are reportedly adequate at present, the supply situation could tighten due to a decrease in domestic production.

Intense haze from extensive forest fires in Indonesia may result in another state of emergency.

At one stage in 1997, the air pollutant index measured 635, considered extremely dangerous, forcing the state government to declare a state of emergency.

Dr Chan, however, believed the present El Nino would not be as bad as in 1997.

An El Nino is a completely natural event that usually lasts between a year and 18 months.

It occurs every two to seven years with varying degrees of vigour.

It has been occurring for thousands of years but its global affects were not recognised until the 1900s. To this day, the weather phenomenon is still not fully understood. Obviously, this means forecasting its effects accurately will be impossible.

Even predicting the actual El Nino itself is not easy — it’s difficult to say when an El Nino event is going to occur and equally difficult to say how strong it is going to be.

Even current forecasts cannot agree on the strength of the present El Nino.

Also none of the droughts or floods due to El Nino can ever be guaranteed. We may see all of these disasters but then again, we may see none.

Rainfall has dropped below normal and water sources are drying up, forcing more than 18,000 people to face water shortage while thousands more complain of catching flu and sore throats.

THE abnormal effects on the main components of climate — sunshine, temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, cloud formation and ocean currents — are now being felt.

The warmer waters of the Pacific are moving from east to west and in Sarawak, the people are bracing for another round of climatic onslaught.

El Nino, the natural phenomenon known to bring turmoil to global weather patterns, is back.

A strong El Nino is often associated with wet winters over southeastern US, as well as droughts in Indonesia and Australia.

While the El Nino effects are not guaranteed, the weather phenomenon does make them more likely to happen. And over the last couple of weeks or months, the impacts have already been seen and felt.

Droughts are hitting Indonesia and the surrounding regions. Forest fires burn furiously in Sumatra and Borneo, including Sarawak, forcing drivers to use their headlights even during daytime.

The haze travels thousands of miles all over the state, limiting visibility to about half km at times in some areas.

The strongest effect of El Nino now is on precipitation and temperature. And presently, the state is experiencing dry weather, low precipitation and rising temperatures.

The present El Nino is causing water shortage to more than 18,000 people throughout Sarawak. Rainfall has dropped below normal.

The state authorities are concerned that the levels of Sungai Sarawak Kiri and Gerugu Dam in Sarikei are receding.

The Kuching Water Board has reported very low capacity of water in Sungai Sarawak Kiri, the source of water supply for almost the whole of Kuching. Water rationing has already started in Simunjan and Sarikei.

“The water situation in Sarikei is getting very serious now. With continued rainless days, the capacity of the Gerugu Dam is only enough to last the next two days, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said.

The Gerugu Dam not only supplies Sarikei but also Tanjung Manis, Mukah and Belawai.

The prolonged dry spell may also see several schools in drought-stricken areas temporarily closed if they did not receive clean water supply.

Sarawak Education director Dr Julaihi Bujang recently said the dry season was being aggravated by the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak and students staying in the school hostels would be most affected by water shortage.

“So far, no school has to close temporarily but I have been informed several would be facing shortage of clean water and the problem has been referred to the relevant authorities,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Julaihi said among the residential schools found to be facing water shortage since the dry season began were Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Suai, near Miri and SMK Belawai, near Mukah.

Potable water has been sent to areas that depend on gravity feed.

State Public Works Department deputy director Safri Zainuddin said close to 400,000 gallons had been distributed throughout Sarawak as of last Friday.

Cloud seeding using flares, the latest technology, will begin on Aug 10 around the water catchment area of Sungai Sarawak Kiri and other parts of the state as rain clouds are expected to form in the wake of typhoon Morakot.

Temperatures in many parts of the state have reached 36°C.

The change is slight, just two to three degree Celsius, but it has dramatic effects. Periods of extremely hot weather can cause serious health problems.

Heat waves can cause death.

Illinois in the US experienced this first hand in July 1995 when extreme heat contributed to the deaths of over 700 people in the Chicago area.

Rising temperatures, volatile weather, more droughts spawned by El Nino, are going to affect our lives in many ways.

People have what is called a cistern to store water.

The problem is if the cistern is opened and people put their hands in, the water can become contaminated, especially when the people can’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom because of severe water shortage.

The extreme heat also helps encourage bacteria to grow.

More bacteria means more water-borne diseases like diarrhea, for instance.

What if the temperature or hot weather were made even worse by global warming? What would the impact on health be?

El Nino can drive temperatures up by as much as five degrees Celsius.

Dr Chan, who is also State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, said there were no specific reports on serious weather abnormalities affecting public health yet but he did not rule out the possibility of heat and water shortage affecting some people’s health.

thesundaypost visited several government clinics in the city and found all of them overstretched in coping with H1N1, climate fever and accident cases.

“At the moment, we cannot exactly tell if the hot weather is behind the increase in people seeking medical treatment at government clinics.

“However, the heat and haze may seriously affect those suffering from asthma and serious cold and fever, or even H1N1 patients,” Dr Chan noted.

He said water shortage due to drought would also have effects on public health, saying it could cause the spread of cholera and any other virus-related diseases such as H1N1.

“Cholera epidemic is common when there is not enough clean water. So are virus-related diseases that require one to wash one’s hands to prevent the diseases spreading,” he added.

Prolonged El Nino could destroy livelihoods.

For example, fishes that prefer colder waters are no longer found off the coast but thousands of miles further out.

This can devastate the livelihood of the fishermen and severely damage economies.

The warmer waters can also well up near the coastal sea, disrupting existing marine life.

In the past, the effects of El Nino had been observed on marine life as far away as Antarctica but it is not just marine life that suffer.

No specific reports of serious weather anomalies affecting agriculture have been received in Indonesia and Malaysia during the 1997 El Nino but certainly, over the last few months, significant deviations in weather patterns in the region and the adverse effects these have had on crop production and food supply, are causing concern.

The impact of El Nino will affect soil moisture conditions for planting any food crop.

In addition, insufficient rainfall and dry conditions may affect output of manufactured goods if these result in acute water shortage.

Prevailing dry conditions have also exacerbated fires that may affect agriculture and forest plantations and reduced water supplies.

Everyday, hundreds of hotspots are detected in Indonesia as well as Malaysia.

According to the Natural Resources and Environment Board website, 29 hotspots were spotted in Sarawak, nine in Sabah, 151 in Kalimantan and 117 in Sumatera on Thursday.

Dr Chan did not dismiss the possibility that some of the forest fires in Sarawak were due to open burning in plantations.

Over the past few weeks, there have been various reports of falling water reserves in dams and rivers in many parts of Sarawak.

As a result of the potential decline in domestic production due to water shortage, imports may increase next year to meet demand while prices of agricultural commodities may also rise.

Although food stocks held by the National Food Security Department are reportedly adequate at present, the supply situation could tighten due to a decrease in domestic production.

Intense haze from extensive forest fires in Indonesia may result in another state of emergency.

At one stage in 1997, the air pollutant index measured 635, considered extremely dangerous, forcing the state government to declare a state of emergency.

Dr Chan, however, believed the present El Nino would not be as bad as in 1997.

An El Nino is a completely natural event that usually lasts between a year and 18 months.

It occurs every two to seven years with varying degrees of vigour.

It has been occurring for thousands of years but its global affects were not recognised until the 1900s. To this day, the weather phenomenon is still not fully understood. Obviously, this means forecasting its effects accurately will be impossible.

Even predicting the actual El Nino itself is not easy — it’s difficult to say when an El Nino event is going to occur and equally difficult to say how strong it is going to be.

Even current forecasts cannot agree on the strength of the present El Nino.

Also none of the droughts or floods due to El Nino can ever be guaranteed. We may see all of these disasters but then again, we may see none.