UK Project leader, Prof. Lord Julian Hunt and UK team members inspecting the KL-MHP Console at the Enforcement Department of DBKL in 2019 (Ketua Projek UK, Prof. Lord Julian Hunt dan ahli pasukan UK melawat Kl-MHP di Bilik Gerakan, Jabatan Penguatkuasaan, DBKL pada tahun 2019)
The Kuala Lumpur Multi-Hazard Platform or KL – MHP is a revolutionary forecasting tool developed by the University of Cambridge, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute (SEADPRI-UKM), Department of Meteorology Malaysia (MetMalaysia), and key partners from other universities, government and industry. The web-based system provides forecasts of rainfall, temperature and wind speed, and selected climate hazards such as flash floods, landslides, heatwaves, air pollution and strong winds at the neighbourhood level. Jointly led by Prof. Lord Julian Hunt (University of Cambridge) and Prof. Joy Jacqueline Pereira (SEADPRI – UKM), the development of the KL-MHP was supported by the Newton Ungku Omar Fund, a collaborative research grant of the government of the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
SEADPRI-UKM conducting training session for the DBKL rescue squad on how to use the KL-MHP (Sesi latihan kepada pasukan Skuad Penyelamat DBKL tentang cara menggunakan KL-MHP)
The system provides a high resolution 3-day forecasts for rainfall, temperature and air pollution and combines this data with information on areas susceptible to landslides, flash-floods and sinkholes to create a hazard map that can be used by the authorities to prepare their emergency responses.
In addition to this, data and trends are extrapolated to assist land use planning and disaster management costing by improving the current measurement and reporting of existing vulnerabilities. Most importantly, the KL-MHP realizes increased emergency planning capacities through heightened awareness of critical events and disasters, a crucial step towards protecting vulnerable communities and their livelihoods. The system has already seen its pioneer deployment with the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and has already seen significant interest for uptake in other countries as well as by the private sector.
For further information, please contact Prof. Joy Jacqueline Pereira at pereirajoy@yahoo.com or seadpri@ukm.edu.my
Click here for The KL-MHP Official Video
Click here for a mention of the KL-MHP (about the 11th minute mark) referencing Cambridge and UKM by Ambassador Ken O’Flaherty, the COP26 Regional Ambassador for Asia-Pacific, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, in BFM’s Earth Matters: The Road to COP27: More Action Needed, produced by Juliet Jacobs, 31 Oct 2022.
