Drought and water supply issues also need to be addressed. - Dr Sim

KUCHING, Sept. 28: The issue of dust should not be viewed in isolation as climate change also carries other risks including drought, lack of water resources and difficulty controlling fires.

Deputy Prime Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the drought could cause water resources to be depleted making it difficult to deal with fires, including in areas with peatlands.

"We're talking about dust, but we also need to look at the situation when there is no water. When a river is dry and there's no water, how do we put out fires?

"This is happening because of El Nino, even Super El Nino. It's also caused by climate change", he said in a speech at the opening ceremony of Zeekr Kuching Pop-up Store here today.

Commenting further, Dr Sim explained, the situation suggests that the concept of sustainability needs to be understood more fully and not just associated with air pollution or one environmental issue when its impact is already being felt in society.

"There's a lot of talk about sustainability, but there are still many people who don't understand what sustainability really is. Even though the effects have already happened to us, some people still only see dust and forget about the problem of water shortages", he said.

In this regard, he added, Sarawak will continue to focus on sustainability, renewable energy and green mobility in line with the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030. - TVS