Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili today officially opened the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD)’s new Kudat office in Jalan Lintas, near Kudat Airport, here.
Sabah presently has six meteorological principal stations in which the Kudat Meteorological Office was first established as the fifth station in 1979. The station had then operated mainly for weather observations as well to issue advisories to several local authorities in Kudat.
Ongkili said with the completion of this new building which cost RM3.3 million in November 2011, the station had been upgraded as a meteorological office and also functioning as part of the Geophysics and Tsunami Network in Malaysia.
He said the Kudat Meteorological Office was one of the two earthquake and tsunami monitoring offices in Sabah, besides the Tawau Meteorological Office.
“As part of the Geophysics and Tsunami Network, the office plays an important role in ensuring the Malaysia National Tsunami and Early Warning System (SAATNM) functions smoothly.
“In Kudat, there are four components of the SAATNM system which are placed at various locations such as the siren at the Customs Office, coastal camera at the General Operation Centre, tidal gauge and seismic station at Kudat Harbour and Kampung Pinangsoo, Kudat,” he said.
The office is capable of monitoring all components of SAATNM throughout the country, with the exception of the tsunami siren, on real time basis round-the-clock as well as having access to all related information issued by the Geophysics and Tsunami Center at the MMD headquarters.
The earthquake and tsunami monitoring office was set up in Kudat as the northern part of the west coast of Sabah is vulnerable to tsunami threats in an event a strong undersea earthquake occurs in the Manila Trench, the Sulu Trench and the Negros Trench.
Ongkili said the government had spent more than RM22.7 million under the Ninth and Tenth Malaysia Plan to develop meteorological infrastructure in Sabah of which RM12.1 million was for meteorological equipment and RM10.6 million for physical infrastructure.
For the physical infrastructure, he said RM3.3 million was spent for the building of the Kudat Meteorological Station, RM2.69 million for the meteorological station and quarters in Keningau, RM3.58 million for the meteorological station and quarters in Ranau and RM1.02million on renovating the meteorological station and building of quarters in Tawau.
“For earthquake and tsunami monitoring, the government has spent more than RM35.5 million for the National Tsunami and Early Warning System, of which RM5.5 million was spent for the system in Sabah.
“These include the installation of six seismic stations, five tidal gauge stations, seven sirens and five coastal cameras, each of which is installed in Kudat. The government has also set up two strong motion stations this year in Ranau and Danum Valley.”
Ongkilu said that for dissemination of information to the public, the department would send out early warning through the agencies involved in disaster management, including via SMS, within 10 minutes after the occurrence of an earthquake.
“With the measures undertaken, the earthquake and early tsunami warning monitoring system for Malaysia, especially in Sabah is adequate and according to international standards. Our emergency response system operates at its optimum to ensure that if a disaster were to occur the impact would be minimal to the people of Sabah,” he said.
2012 BERNAMA