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2nd December, 2008
BANGI: Future rainstorms are expected to be more intense where drought-induced events will be more extended, according to Natural Resources & Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas.
He said these rainfall extremes were anticipated to extensively increase river flows, bringing more severe floods and damages, and in the dry periods leading to lower flows which could affect water supply for domestic, industry and agriculture use.
“The continuous warming of the seas, especially the South China Sea around the Malaysian coastline with temperatures rising by above 1.5 degrees Celsius will cause the sea to expand, resulting in the rise of the sea level,” he said in his opening speech at the Regional Workshop on Developing Partnerships for Water and Climate Change Adaptation, here, yesterday.
Uggah said concurrently, the warming of these coastal waters had and would continue to bleach the corals in our waters and would consequently reduce our fish population and other marine resources.
He said his ministry was currently formulating a framework policy in climate change and inventorying the anthropogenic emissions by source and removals by sinks of all greenhouse gases on a more regular basis, as well as preparing for the Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“These measures will assist the country in taking effective mitigation and adaptation measures, including those related to water resources management,” he added.
Some 100 participants including from Asia-Pacific countries such as Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan and China are attending the five-day workshop.
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