Penang: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) has upgraded four Malaysian Tsunami Early Warning Systems (SAATNM) located at four strategic locations near the sea in Penang. Senior Assistant Director of Penang METMalaysia Office, Fadila Jasmin Fakaruddin, revealed that the upgraded systems now feature 360-degree speakers, an improvement from the previous three-speaker setup.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the four upgraded sites include the National Training Centre at Pasir Panjang Beach in Balik Pulau, Teluk Bahang Fisheries Development Authority Jetty, Masjid Jamek Ar Rahman in Batu Feringghi, and the Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque. These efforts aim to enhance the tsunami warning capabilities, as the previous systems have been operational since 2006.
Fadila Jasmin elaborated, “METMalaysia is upgrading the four SAATNMs because the old one under phase one, has been in use since 2006. The upgraded one has a 360-degree speaker system, a higher mast of 16 metres compared to the previous 10 metres and several other things.” She further stated that the new tsunami siren system underwent a successful Site Acceptance Test (SAT) at the Masjid Jamek Ar-Rahman location.
Testing of the SAATNM siren has already been conducted in Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau, with plans to proceed to the Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque. Fadila Jasmin emphasized the importance of these upgrades in providing faster warnings to the public in the event of a tsunami threat.
V. Mohan, the Safety and Health manager at Park Royal Resort Batu Ferringhi, expressed confidence in the upgraded system’s ability to deliver timely tsunami warnings. He noted the clarity of the new loudspeakers, which can be heard clearly from the hotel situated approximately 300 metres from the mosque.
The SAATNM system is designed to disseminate earthquake information to the public within eight minutes of detection by the sensor. It also plays a crucial role in detecting regional earthquakes and issuing relevant warnings if there is a potential for tsunami wave generation.