Tsunami Alert System

Tsunami alert system in Sabah, Sarawak ready

KOTA KINABALU: The government has completed implementation of the National Early Tsunami Warning System that also covers the coastal regions of Sabah and Sarawak, at a total cost of RM34 million.

STRATEGIC LOCATIONS: Map of Borneo showing locations where early tsunami warning equipment are installed off the coasts of Sarawak and Sabah.

The Borneo Post learned here yesterday that the implementation of the project by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, through the Malaysian Meteorological Department, started in 2005, months after the disastrous Indian Ocean earthquake.
The second phase of the project started in April 2008 in order to further enhance the monitoring and information systems related to natural disasters.

EARLY DETECTION: A tsunami buoy installed at Sipadan, off Semporna town on the east coast of Sabah.

That earthquake on Dec 26, 2004 triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in 14 countries.

Those tsunamis were among the deadliest natural disasters recorded in history, with Indonesia being the hardest hit, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

Malaysia lost 68 people, mostly fishermen, when the 2004 tsunami hit the north-western coastline.

A research conducted
by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and relevant bodies has shown that the tsunami high risk areas in Malaysia include coastal areas of Sabah, Sarawak, Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Perak and Selangor.

ear at a total cost of RM7 million,” Abdul Malik Tussin, Sabah director of the Meteorological Department, disclosed here in an interview at his office.

He said among equipment installed include broadband and short-period seismic sensors, coastal cameras, tidal gauge stations, tsunami buoys at sea and warning sirens at strategic locations.

In the case of Sabah and Sarawak, a total of six seismic broadband sensors have been installed, at Kuching, Sibu, Bakun, Tawau, Sapulut and Lawa Mandau.

At the same time, three seismic short-period sensors in Sabah and one in Sarawak were installed, have been fixed at Lahad Datu, Telupid, Kudat and Bintulu.

He explained that the broadband and the short-period seismic sensors are equipment for detection of earthquakes.

A total of eight tidal gauge stations have been installed in these two states on Borneo Island; three in Sarawak and five in Sabah, located at Mukah, Bintulu, Miri, Labuan, Sepangar, Kudat, Lahad Datu and Tawau.

Elsie Benedict Jaimin

These are instruments that detect changes in sea water levels at coastal areas and in support of them two tsunami buoys have also been installed off Sabah, one at Layang-Layang on the west coast and at Sipadan, off Semporna on the east coast.

The buoys are designed to monitor deep ocean water levels.

Besides, a total of nine beach cameras or CCTVs have been fixed, three in Sarawak at Mukah, Bintulu and Miri and six in Sabah, at Labuan, Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Sandakan, Semporna and Tawau.

The actual location of the tsunami-watch camera in the state capital is installed at Menara Tun Mustapha, the 32-storey building of Yayasan Sabah at Likas Bay.

Malik Tussin said another form of tsunami alert equipment put in place are a series of nine warning sirens for the two states — at Miri, Labuan, in Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Tawau and Semporna.

Abdul Malik Tussin

The siren is fixed at the SAFMA wharf in the case of Kota Kinabalu, whilst those elsewhere are mostly located at mosques facing the sea.

He explained that all information and data from the system are received and monitored directly by the department’s head office at Petaling Jaya.

Should there be need for any early tsunami warnings, they would be issued by the National Disaster Management Agency in Kuala Lumpur through the department’s headquarters.

Malik said officials from his department, including his deputy Elsie Benedict Jaimin, has conducted several campaigns in various towns of Sabah in the last four years to promote public awareness of severe monsoon, weather, floods, earthquake and tsunami.

Among towns covered by the department are Semporna, Keningau, Tawau, Sandakan, Kudat, Ranau, Lahad Datu, to ensure that these local communities are aware of such natural disasters and to familiarise them with the functions of the early tsunami warning system.

The system, that provides early warnings on tsunamis generated in the Indian Ocean, South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, is target-specific and has been developed to meet local conditions.

It forms part of the coordinated network of related tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean.

Sources of information from the borneo post  

 http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=89960

Kuching International Airport

Kuching Airport completed in May this year


KUCHING: A total of 3.5 per cent more work to upgrade the Kuching International Airport (KIA) are still not ready, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.
He said the upgrading works involve the construction of only nine aircraft parking bays, three remote stand, three cargo stand, widening the runway, the addition of check-in counters, commercial lots, Mas Cargo Centre and the provision of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA ).
"Only 3.5 per cent living alone that have not completed the majority of whom are involved work related to the modernization of the base of the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF).
"The runway extension project and development related to the terminal building was completed and a lot of related work has been completed," he said in a press conference after his la-native to KIA yesterday.
He is also upgrading KIA, costing RM850 million would be completed in mid-May this year.
"The total cost is nearly RM850 million of which we can see that the construction cost alone is enough to reach RM794 million, and if it includes the cost of payments to consultants, Telekom Malaysia(TM), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), it is estimated to cost up to RM850 million.
"We have given an extension until mid-May and the mean of about three months from now so we're sure the contractor is able to complete it on schedule," he saidHe added, to maintain quality of the upgrading works, the contractor has been subject to conditions to establish the warranty period of 10 years."Before this there was a complaint that there keretakkan here (KIA), but the contractor and the consultant has taken the necessary steps."The contractors are also provided for setting up 10-year warranty and if something happened in that period, they (the contractor) will still be accountable," he saidAt the same time, he was told, with the completion of the upgrading works KIA later, he is expected to be able to accommodate up to six million passengers.At this time only KIA been able to accommodate up to 3.5 million passengers.In addition, according to him, KIA is the third most important airport in the country after the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)"With this development, many airline companies from abroad took the opportunity to bring foreign tourists to come to Sarawak, which is one of the most important tourist destinations in the country.
"With this position, he placed third KIA important in this country, where we found out that KIA also linked to several international destinations, especially in the territories of Japan," he saidHe earlier told the press about 3,658,713 million passengers were recorded last year, an increase of 2009 percent compared to 2:01 with only 3,586,629 million.Also present at the press conference were Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Transport Aviation Division, Wan Said and Senior Manager KIA, Sunif Naiman.