With the looming threat of El Nino expected to hit Malaysia some time this month, bringing a prolonged dry spell and brush fires lasting until next January, the Fire and Rescue Department has estimated it needs an additional RM70 million to prepare for the global weather phenomenon’s arrival.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said the RM70 million was to purchase additional equipment and to improvise logistics in order to better handle El Nino conditions. The application for supplementary budget allocations had already been submitted to the Federal Government.
“This is our part to prepare for any contingencies during the phenomenon which is anticipated to hit South-East Asian nations anytime now,” he told The Star Online.
Wan Mohd Nor said the request for additional funds was warranted as his department estimates a higher number of forest and bush fires during the imminent dry season, as exemplified by the dry season earlier this year which saw the Fire and Rescue Department fighting 15,000 fires in the first three months of 2014.
The department is planning to purchase mobile pumps, multi purpose vehicles and off-road trucks if the additional budget is approved.
See Also:
Weather Woes: This year’s El Nino could be a repeat of 1997’s
A 6-month dry season if El Nino hits Malaysia
