PUTRAJAYA: The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has identified 256 critical slopes, which are being monitored as part of its preparations for the northeast monsoon.
Its director-general, Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus, said these slopes had been categorised under three levels — high, medium and low.
He said 86 highly critical slopes had been identified followed by 84 medium and low category slopes.
He said Sabah had 36 critical slopes followed by 25 in Perak, Johor, Pahang Terengganu and Kelantan, each.
"We have set up 53 earthquake benchmark stations, 10 rain gauges and seven sirens, as well as seismic sensors and wire sensors to detect land movements and other geological activity," he said during an inter-agency engagement session with the media on northeast monsoon preparations at the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) Base at Pulau Meranti here on Friday.
He said 4,619 flood hotspot locations were being monitored during this monsoon period.
"The Drainage and Irrigation Department is also monitoring telemetry from 1,342 hydrology stations around the clock and has equipped 543 sirens and 162 cameras along various rivers.
"It also has 737 mobile water pumps, 30 generator sets and 15 lorries equipped with cranes, as well as 285 pump houses and 1,079 water control gates at the ready in the event that a flood occurs," he said.
Meanwhile, Civil Defence Force (APM) chief commissioner Datuk Aminurrahim Mohamed said it had activated 533 of its personnel as part of a pilot programme to perform multiple tasks, including patrols of flood hotspots and critical slopes.
"We call our personnel in this team 'Chameleons' as they will perform administrative tasks, while also conducting patrols and responding to disasters.
"They will be tasked with identifying trees that are at risk of falling so that the matter could be reported to the relevant authorities for further action," he said, adding that this unit would be out and about during the monsoon season.