The Star 21 Jun 14;
PETALING JAYA: Unlike the extreme El Nino in 1997 and 1998, the effects this year may not cause widespread or prolonged water shortages, said the Meteorological Department.
Spokesman Dr Hisham Mohd Anip said the intensity of this year’s El Nino would be weak and moderate.
“The good news is that we may not see the dry dams and taps which we had in 1997 and 1998,” he told The Star.
Dr Hisham pointed out that the last El Nino, between 2009 and 2010, was also moderate and passed with little impact.
“Nobody even noticed,” he said.
However, he pointed out that their El Nino analysis was a long-term forecast and underscored that mother nature was unpredictable.
Dr Hisham said the global weather phenomenon occurred every four years on average and could last up to 18 months.
“It develops in the middle of the year and matures in December or January before it weakens and ends in March,” he said.
El Ninos starts with the unusual warming of the ocean surface in the tropics before it spreads and affects other parts of the globe.
The last extreme El Nino reportedly resulted in the deaths of an estimated 23,000 people around the world due to extreme hot weather, drought, wildfires, floods and cyclones.
Dr Hisham said that most of Malaysia had good or moderate Air Pollutant Index (API) readings yesterday.
“We are still in a dry period, which will last for one or two weeks, and there could be some haze,” he said, adding that there should be more rain next month.
Padi farming bodies to plan for El Nino
New Straits Times 22 Jun 14;
KOTA BARU: The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry has directed its agencies managing padi farming to take measures to handle the adverse effects of the El Nino phenomenon.
Deputy Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said the agencies should revise schedules on planting and irrigation of farms to ensure the padi plants would not be ruined by a potentially long dry season.
He said agencies, such as Kemubu Agriculture Development Authority in Kelantan, had been told to carry out study on areas most likely to be affected by the El Nino.
“Early preparation should be made for farming management, such as determining the best time to channel water to the fields and harvest the crop,” he said after opening the annual general meeting of Jaya Peringat Area Farmers Organisation (AFO) here yesterday.
He said the government had set aside RM15 million to build tube wells in areas with irrigation problems during prolonged dry spell
“More than 70 tube wells can be constructed as RM200,000 is expected to be spent on each well.”
Tajuddin said even if the forecast of El Nino fell short, the tube wells could still be used by the people in the surrounding areas for household use.
On another note, he said AFO in various padi farming areas in the country should form consortiums as a vehicle for farmers to branch out to wider rice production business.
“They should have their own rice processing factory and venture into the supply chain down to retailing and have their own brand of rice for the market.”
He said the farmers’ children, who had graduated from universities, could participate in the business by contributing their knowledge.
