PETALING JAYA: Cameron Highlands experienced its hottest year on record in 2024, with an average daily temperature of 18.91 degrees Celsius, marking a significant rise over the past decade.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii revealed in the Dewan Rakyat that temperatures in the popular highland retreat have increased by 0.86% in the last 10 years.
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He was responding to questions from Tan Kar Hing (PH-Gopeng) regarding temperature trends in Cameron Highlands over the past decade, landslide occurrences and efforts to monitor high-risk slopes.
“Between 1991 to 2020, average daily temperatures there were at 18.05 degrees Celsius,“ he stated.
Despite the heat spike, the highest temperature ever recorded in Cameron Highlands remains 27.9 degrees Celsius, logged on May 19, 1998.
The rise in temperatures coincides with growing concerns over landslides in the area, with the minister disclosing that 649 landslides have occurred between 1961 and now.
To mitigate risks, the Minerals and Geoscience Department has mapped out 45 critical and high-risk slopes in the region.
“The department has been conducting annual monitoring at 19 critical slopes there since 2021. Early warning systems have also been fitted at five of the slopes.
“Early warning systems have also been fitted at five of the slopes,” he said, adding that the information is relayed to related agencies and departments for slope management and preparedness in tackling possible landslides,” he stated.
The ministry, in collaboration with stakeholders, is also working on a comprehensive adaptation strategy to address the impact of climate change.
