The public has been urged to use water prudently due to the expected reduction in rainfall during the current dry period.
Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said The Southwest Monsoon (dry season) that was declared by the Malaysian Meteorological Department starting last week until September 2026 is expected to bring lower rainfall and drier weather conditions across Sarawak.
Uggah said that during the inter-monsoon transition period beginning around March 2026, Sarawak recorded an increase in bushfire incidents, 267 cases in March, before further increasing to 318 cases in April, bringing the cumulative total to 644 cases.
“During the peak of the season from July to September, localised and transboundary haze may occur if open burning activities are not properly controlled.
“Therefore, all parties are advised to avoid open burning activities to prevent haze and use water prudently due to the expected reduction in rainfall,” he said.
He said this in his ministerial winding-up speech during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today (May 20).
On the other hand, he stressed that the declining water levels at Bakun, Murum, and Batang Ai reservoirs have triggered drought emergency levels, requiring close monitoring and immediate mitigation measures by all relevant agencies.
“To mitigate the situation, cloud seeding operations were conducted on May 11 and 12 at the catchment areas of Batang Ai, Bakun, and Murum reservoirs to increase rainfall,” he said.
