Telecommunication companies have been invited to participate in an early warning system for disasters that will enable Malaysians to receive notifications or alerts on their smartphones before disaster strikes.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who also oversees disaster management, said the government is still looking at the best possible way to get telcos to cooperate.

“We are trying to get the cooperation of telcos, because almost everybody has a smartphone. 

"So if you have an early warning system you can be alerted,” she told Bernama and RTM in a press conference in Geneva today.

Wan Azizah is in Geneva for a three-day working visit to lead the Malaysian delegation to the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR), a biennial event coordinated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

She said her side is looking at possible cooperation with telcos as part of their CSR programmes.

Wan Azizah last year said Malaysia should consider using SMSes to better warn the public about disasters in their areas, as the existing usage of warning sirens may not be enough to alert the public.

- Bernama