AS the country enters the northeast monsoon phase, Penang is making the necessary preparations to face the season, which is expected to last until March of next year.
State Natural Disaster Management Unit head D. Ambika Devi said the unit recently met with all the relevant departments and authorities to discuss preparations for the upcoming monsoon season.
Ambika said that among the things discussed were the allocation of manpower, an assessment of available assets (machinery), technical aspects of disaster management and other pertinent considerations.
“At the meeting, the Meteorological Department presented an overview of the current weather conditions and the expected transition of the monsoon phase, while the state Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) highlighted the flood hotspots and the flood alerts.
“The Penang Social Welfare Department also provided information regarding the status of supply depots, the total inventory of resources, and preparations for flood relief centres.
“Apart from that, the Department of Environment (DOE) discussed issues related to the illegal disposal of toxic waste,” Ambika said when she was contacted by Buletin Mutiara today.
Ambika also added that during the meeting, she explained the procedures for distributing the ‘Bantuan Wang Ihsan Bencana,’ a disaster relief fund.
It is learned that representatives from various agencies, including the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), Public Works Department, Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM), and a few others, attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ambika also shared that yesterday (Nov 2) a workshop called ‘Bengkel Pengurusan Pengoperasian Bencana Siri 2 Tahun 2023’ was organised for all state-level authorities and agencies responsible for disaster management.
The workshop which had the participation of National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia, was aimed to enhance the coordination and operational readiness among the relevant entities in the face of potential disasters in 2023.
Story & Pix by Tanushalini Moroter