Armizan Ali, a Cabinet minister and MP for Papar, said meteorologists had forecast a possible reduction of 20% in monthly rainfall during the monsoon period, Bernama reported.

He said the forecast for the monsoon period was presented to the central disaster management committee meeting last week by the meteorological department.

Armizan, who is minister for Sabah and Sarawak Affairs and special functions, said the Sabah state government should take measures to ensure that residents will still get their water supply.

“Water suppy disruption, a usual occurrence in Sabah, will be more serious because 20% of reduced rainfall is a large amount, which can affect the level of raw water supply in dams and rivers that are sources of water for treatment plants,” he said.

He urged the state government to get a detailed report on locations likely to experience reduced rainfall.