Official Speech by Datuk Dr.

Haji Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Minister of

Natural Resources and Environment, Malaysia

Good Afternoon and Salam 1 Malaysia,

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is well aware of the El
Nino phenomenon that has been occurring in our nation, and we are
taking several extensive measures to ensure that the environment and
the people in Malaysia will not be drastically under threat.

First of all, following by the decreased rainfall in the first quarter this year,
our counterparts from the Malaysian Meteorological Department has
hinted of the possibility of the dry heat in the country to bring back the
haze. Tackling the dry and hot weather in the country, we have increased
preventive measures against open burning activities in the country to not
worsen the situation. We have activated an open burning prevention
action plan around the country. The relevant departments, such as the
police, the firefighters, as well as our divisions in different states of the
country have been notified of our action plan. Severe actions will be taken
against those whom dont comply and choose to continue open burning
activities. Among the few action plan tactics that will be conducted by our
personnel include the patrol on land, aerial surveillance and protection of
the areas that have been identified as easily flammable.

Secondly, the Meteorological Department and I have also discussed on the

climate change impact on agricultural sectors in Malaysia since last
December. We took into consideration of the dryness of farming lands
throughout the country. Such phenomenon has affected vital crops such
as the paddy fields, as well as the fruit plantations and palm oil production
in several parts of Malaysia. The ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment will take an account on the provision of sufficient support to
keep the abundance of the resources in the country thriving for this could
affect the economy.
On whether there would be a shortage on water due to the condition, thus
far, there is no critical reduction of water in the country itself. There are
roughly over 40 water dams in the country, whereby 19 of them are under
the Drainage and Irrigation Department and the Science, Technology and
Innovation Ministry. We will work closely with the two organisations to
keep the people updated on the fastest time possible regarding the status
of the dams. It is crucial to know whether the dams are falling into critical
level or potentially drying up.

The Government of Malaysia will declare a heatwave emergency if the

temperatures exceed 40oC for seven days continuously or more at a
certain area. This El Ninos impact on Malaysia will peak between
November 2015 and January 2016, and its expected to last till late March
2015.

In addition, during this period of time, we will also conduct cloud seeding
activities in areas that are possible. Although the heat may lead to the
inconsistency of clouds in the atmosphere, we will keep the weather
forecasts in our observation and perform any cloud seeding activities in
targeted areas when necessary and possible.

Lastly, I urge everyone, especially infants and children, to stay indoors

whenever necessary, to ensure everyone is constantly hydrated. The
ministry will do our very best to assist the people in critical times like
these. We would also highly encourage the assistance of the public as well
to aid in tackling the El Nino detrimental effects. If anyone notices any
outbreaks of fire, any illegal activities of open burning, or even suspect of
any individual or group conducting environmental harmful activities,
please do not hesitate to contact the police immediately.

With that, I have come to an end, thank you very much for your time, and
stay safe everyone.