THE El Nino weather phenomenon is here again. In the Klang Valley the unusually hot afternoons in recent days are, apparently, a sign of things to come. But, the heat is only one side of what is not a very predictable coin. In drought-ridden California, heavy rains have not only soaked the parched earth, they have also caused landslides and severe flash floods, and residents are warned to be on the alert. According to the experts, extreme weather patterns can threaten food security everywhere. The United Nations World Meteorological Association has said that this El Nino is likely to be one of the strongest ever and it looks like they might be right despite the already cooling surface of the Pacific Ocean, the heating up of which is said to produce the El Nino phenomenon.
Given that the forecast for Malaysia is heat, which can for some — the old and the young especially — be quite intolerable, there is a need to prepare. For, unaccustomed heat makes demands on the human body that can have ugly consequences if ignored. Of course, more than anything else there is a need to be very aware of dehydration on hot days, the consequences of which can be fatal. Naturally, drinking a lot of water is the only defence against it. It would also be helpful to give the outdoors a miss when the sun is high and strong; stay indoors as much as possible. Without rain, some states in the country must expect the return of water shortage. Kedah, Perlis and Penang are already feeling the heat, and this is expected to spread throughout the peninsula by the end of the month and drag on until the end of March.
After several repeats of the same experience, people in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya must surely know what they must do to avoid water rationing: do not waste. Wherever possible, water must be recycled by using bath water, for example, to water the plants, wash the car and the floors. Conserve by keeping the taps on only when absolutely necessary.
In Australia, this El Nino has meant 2015 ending with a very hot summer. The unpredictability of the rains are troubling Southeast Asian farmers where droughts have been severe in past years. There is no planning possible for the volume of water required for agriculture. It is not as if this year’s rainfall can be stored in a reservoir for later. Furthermore, climate change makes weather patterns difficult to forecast. Instead, authorities act to alleviate the ensuing disasters, and even then it is to ensure that unseasonably heavy rains and strong winds do not cause fatalities and massive destruction to property.
The drought expected to descend on this country can only be planned for with exhortations to conserve. Notwithstanding the attempt at politicising the water shortage, it is now no longer about the squabbling over Langat 2. The rains are not coming, and the people must realise climate change is here. Conservation measures must be made ready well in advance or face the consequences. Whinging is not going to cut ice because the public has been duly warned. It is going to be unusually hot and dry.