M. Hamzah Jamaluddin and Jaspal Singh New Straits Times 15 Feb 14;
DRY SPELL: Kelantan farmers risk losses of RM90m due to drought
KUALA LUMPUR: THE dry spell has taken a heavy toll on padi farmers in Kelantan, with losses expected to reach RM90 million.
The farmers were forced to skip the planting season as the blistering heat wave had resulted in a shortage of water irrigating their padi fields.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said apart from the drought having caused irrigation breakdowns, it also left water in the state's rivers and dams at critical levels.
"The ministry will take prompt action to solve this problem to prevent bigger losses," he said after officiating the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund's (Tekun Nasional) new office in Bukit Mertajam here yesterday.
He said the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (Kada) had also been tasked with helping the farmers.
He said he would go to Kelantan tomorrow to assess the situation, adding that the ministry's officers would also be deployed to other states.
It was believed that the problem was due to Sungai Kelantan's water level dipping to a low point, exacerbated by sand-dredging activities and uncontrolled logging upstream.
Meanwhile, just four days after a forest in Perak's northern region was destroyed by fire, another thick jungle, this time in Gunung Tempurung, is ablaze.
The blaze, located near the Sungai Siput Selatan village in Kampar, has engulfed about 8ha of the forest. The affected area is located near Gunung Tempurung.
The Perak Fire and Rescue Department said they faced difficulty combating the blaze because of the mountain's steep slopes.
Its Zone 1 operations chief, Ruhisha Haris, said a helicopter had been mobilised to the mountain area to monitor the forest fire while firemen attempted to stem its spread.
In Arau, Perlis, the operator of the Padang Siding landfill yesterday began transporting in soil to blanket the smoldering site to curb the smoke which had shrouded the town since Tuesday.
The move was meant to prevent oxygen from feeding the fire, which had taken root 6m down the pile of 5ha of garbage at the landfill.
It was learnt that more than 100,000 cubic metres of earth would be used to cover the affected site at the 12ha landfill.
Approximately 45 firefighters, Malaysian Civil Defence Department personnel and volunteers from Kangar, Kuala Perlis and Arau were working round the clock at the site to put out the fire.
The state Department of Environment had confirmed the smoke from the landfill burning was hazardous, based on the reading recorded by the E-Sample equipment installed at SK Pauh on Friday.
In Rompin, Pahang, intermittent showers and drizzle since Friday night brought relief to 30 firefighters from Rompin and Kuantan battling peat fires here and in Pekan in the past few days.
The rain not only helped them douse smaller fires but also made it easier for the firemen to control the peat fires at Sungai Endau, Ladang Kerpal and Ladang Tebu Hitam.
So far this year, 12 forest fires involving a total area of 514.8ha were reported nationwide.
State Fire and Rescue Department operations management centre Senior Superintendent Yusri Basir said Pahang recorded the most number of such fires, involving 23.8ha at the Sungai Endau Plantation and the forest in Kampung Raja, Cameron Highlands.
"However, Terengganu was affected over an area of 384.5ha, including peat fires at Kampung Bahagia, Tok Kah in Dungun on Jan 25." Additional reporting by Rahmat Khairulrijal and Sharanpal Singh Randhawa
Read more: Farmers skip padi season - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/farmers-skip-padi-season-1.485057#ixzz2tSbdXh00
