Abang Johari greets guests at the open house. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (April 19): The Sarawak government needs expert advice for dealing with the impact of the eruption of Mount Ruang in Indonesia, which may affect the state’s airspace, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said following the disaster, the smoke from the eruption had an impact especially on the aviation sector in Sarawak.
He said early action needs to be taken if the volcanic ash smoke enters the airspace in some parts of the state.
“Right now, Kota Kinabalu is affected because we see how the wind is blowing. I can’t even comment on the matter — we won’t know until it happens, but we’ll see how it goes and wait for advice from the experts,” he said when met by reporters last night at a Hari Raya open house hosted by Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi here.
Abang Johari said the eruption affected outbound and inbound flights in Sarawak, so there must be measures to deal with such problems.
“Actually, we are worried about the particles of the eruption; that’s why the plane can’t fly,” he said.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in a statement said it was possible that smoke from the eruption would reach a small part of Sarawak’s airspace through wind gusts.
