Kuala lumpur:<Text>

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) is set to accelerate the issuance of earthquake and tsunami warnings from eight minutes to six minutes upon detection, commencing this year, to bolster disaster preparedness.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup announced that the accuracy of weather forecasts is also expected to rise from 82 percent to 85 percent, aligning with the country's efforts to enhance its early warning system (EWS). MetMalaysia operates the EWS continuously, collaborating with disaster management agencies at both federal and state levels to ensure readiness.

In response to a query from Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) regarding the effectiveness of the EWS in delivering timely alerts, particularly in rural areas, during the Dewan Rakyat's question-and-answer session, Arthur disclosed that the government has earmarked RM242 million for upgrading the weather warning system. This includes new radar and forecasting projects.

Additionally, RM18 million has been allocated under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) for the development of the National Tsunami Early Warning System. MetMalaysia is also advancing its weather forecasting capabilities with the Radar Integrated Nowcasting System (RANS), which provides near-real-time rainfall predictions.

Arthur highlighted that the Numerical Weather Prediction System has been refined with High-Performance Computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These improvements enable more accurate forecasts up to 14 days in advance with higher resolution. All warnings issued by MetMalaysia are accessible via the Met API (Application Programming Interface) and the public sector open data portal, benefiting government agencies, the private sector, and the public.

Furthermore, Arthur mentioned that MetMalaysia shares real-time rainfall da ta with the Department of Irrigation and Drainage to support flood forecasting operations.