Thankfully, the rainy season has begun, but it might not be such good news after all.
Although the intermonsoon season has started, an expert claims another long dry spell is expected between June and October later this year.
Biodiversity and climate expert Faizal Parish also said the current intermonsoon season, which is supposed to last until mid May, will not see as much rain like in previous years.
“We are likely to get another long, dry period from June until October this year, according to latest predictions by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore. We also expect less rain than usual in April,” he said.
“If there is not enough rain over the next two months, water reserves will still be low during the next dry season, with the possibility of another water shortage and more rationing.”
He added that the second dry season will also bring the annual haze with a high risk of forest and peatland fires. The recent dry spell throughout January and February had led water levels at dams to drop to near-critical levels.
Authorities were forced to impose a water rationing exercise around the Klang Valley, which is now entering its fourth phase, affecting some 6.7 million people.
Faizal, who is director of the Global Environment Centre added that the dry spells were connected to global climate change, and such extreme events were also becoming more frequent elsewhere and not just in Malaysia.
“Rapid development can also be a contributing factor as the loss of forest impacts local climate and rainfall,” he said.
[Source]
