Over the past weekend, numerous cities in the region of Southeast Asia experience sweltering temperatures and in the grip of a record-breaking heat wave. As reported by CNBC news, the temperature of several cities has reach over 40 degrees Celsius. It was reported last week, the temperature in Tuong Duong, a city in Vietnam, reached a record high of 44.2 degrees Celsius. Luang Prabang, a city in Laos, saw a record-high temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius. Bangkok also experienced a high temperature of 41 degrees Celsius, Singapore hit 37 degrees Celsius, and Manila 38.8 degree Celsius.
According to a recent press release from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) the global temperatures is expected to increase to a record levels in the next five years, influenced by greenhouse effects’ heat trapping and El Niño event that expected to develop in the coming months. The CNBC news also reported the boiling temperatures can be associated to the combination of problems, including lower rainfall, El Niño, and the weather pattern (incoming dry season). Combining this with the human-induced climate change (i.e., air pollution) might increase health related problem and risks to the food security, water management and the environment, thus we need to be prepared.
In term of water management, the effect was experienced by the Penang and Kedahan community in Malaysia. According to the news from The Star, an overnight system failure along Sungai Muda led to a dry water tap. Thus, the community ‘raided’ supermarkets for drinking water bottles. In addition, many foods vendor closed as they could not prepared the ingredients without water. Penang water daily usage per person reached above 300 litres last year, the highest in the country. This situation in Penang, and are likely to happen in another countries in the region is a wakeup call for a government to put water security into their priority.