Malaysia: Dry weather to last until May; water shortage in 6 states

Bernama New Straits Times 23 Mar 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is expected to continue experiencing hot and dry weather until May, says Water, Land and Natural Resource Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

He also said that six states - Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan - are expected to face water shortage due to the dry weather and lack of rainfall.

In a statement today, the minister said several locations have not received rain for over 30 days, including Hulu Perak (56 days) and Setiu, Terengganu (31 days).

Dr Xavier said other areas which received less than 25 per cent of the average annual rainfall were Rembau and Tampin in Negri Sembilan, and Rompin in Pahang.

Also, Padang Terap in Kedah, Cameron Highlands and Kuantan in Pahang and Dungun, Hulu Terengganu, Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu have been placed under the "dangerous" category as these areas did not receive enough rainfall.

The current dry weather, he said, would lead to the dying of rivers and dam water in the country.

Dr Xavier said three dams recorded a storage capacity of around 50%, namely the Muda Dam at 58.97% (Kedah), Machap Dam at 55.61% and Sembrong Dam at 54.07% (Johor).

The Bukit Kwong Dam in Kelantan recorded a storage capacity of 37.28%, he added.

He said the distribution of water to consumers, in terms of daily, industrial and agricultural needs especially for padi growers, should be controlled either by rotation or rescheduling the replanting of the crop.

Dr Xavier said the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) had requested that authorities in the respective states to also discharge water from their dams in a more controlled manner. -- BERNAMA


Xavier: Water shortage expected in six states, dams critical
zakiah koya The Star 23 Mar 19;

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians in six states must brace for water rationing due to the extreme hot weather, says Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

He said there are three dams which have a storage capacity of only around 50%.

"The three dams are Muda Dam at 58.97%, Machap Dam at 55.61% and Sembrong Dam at 54.07%. The dam at Bukit Kwong Dam in Kelantan is at the storage capacity of 37.28%.

"The daily water needs of consumers, be it for residential use, industrial or agricultural have to be controlled. For the padi farmers, water has to be channelled using the rationing method or the rescheduling of padi replanting," said Dr Xavier in a press statement on Saturday (March 23).

Dr Xavier said that other critical areas which have also only received less than 25% of the average annual rainfall include Rembau and Tampin in Negri Sembilan and Rompin in Pahang.

Areas such as Padang Terap in Kedah, Cameron Highlands and Kuantan in Pahang and Dungun, Hulu Terengganu, Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu are under the "dangerous" category as these places too have not received enough rainfall.

Dr Xavier said it has been predicted that six states - Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan - will face water shortages as the weather turns hot and dry due to lack of rainfall.

"There needs to be more water supply from Bersi Dam, Muda Dam, Pedu Dam, Ahning Dam and Jus Dam. This is due to active padi replanting in areas around these dams until April.

"The high demand for water for padi agricultural purposes at Sungai Muda is in March, while in Sungai Kedah, it is in April," said Dr Xavier.

He further said that the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) has requested authorities in their respective states to control water release from the dams.


Dry spell to affect dam levels and farms
zakiah koya, lo tern chern, and ili aqilah The Star 24 Mar 19;

PETALING JAYA: The continuous dry season, likely to last until May, will affect dam levels and the planting of padi, says the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry.

Reiterating calls for prudent water use, Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said there are three dams which have water levels of only around 50% and one below that.

“The three are Muda Dam (Kedah) at 58.97%, Machap Dam (Johor) at 55.61% and Sembrong Dam (Johor) at 54.07% while for the Bukit Kwong Dam in Kelantan, the storage capacity is 37.28%,” he said.

In a statement issued yesterday, Dr Xavier noted that the country began feeling the impact of extreme hot weather since January, which resulted in a drought that affected water sources and related activities such as water supply and agriculture.

“Other critical areas that have received only a cumulative rainfall (for the quarterly period of January to March) that is below 25% of the average annual rainfall include Rembau and Tampin in Negri Sembilan, Rompin in Pahang, and Hulu Perak in Perak.”

Dr Xavier also said six states – Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan – are predicted to get a cumulative rainfall below 25% of the average annual rainfall for April and May.

“This will result in a hot and dry period that causes a reduction in water sources in rivers and dams.”

He said the daily water needs of consumers, be it for residential, industrial or agricultural use, have to be controlled.

“For padi farmers, water has to be channelled using the rationing method or the rescheduling of padi replanting,” he added.Dr Xavier said it is predicted that the Sungai Muda, Sungai Kedah and Sungai Melaka basins require additional water channelled from various dams.“The high demand for water for padi farming purposes in Sungai Muda is in March while in Sungai Kedah, it is in April,” he said.

He added that the Department of Irrigation and Drainage had requested the authorities in their respective states to control water release from the dams.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said the drought had adversely affected more than 7,440ha of padi farming land involving 2,555 farmers in Kelantan during the padi replanting season.

“The Kemubu Agriculture Develop­ment Authority has started the rotational system for padi planting.”

The ministry, he added, is assisting affected farmers by providing support pumps as well as mobile and backward pumps.

“If the drought persists, the Metereological Department (Met­Malaysia) and the ministry will use their allocations to begin cloud seeding,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Alor Setar, state exco chairman Zamri Yusuf said the situation in Kedah will be under control at least until May.

“The Beris, Muda, Pedu and Ahning dams have enough water to sustain us until May,” he said.

In Ipoh, state exco member Abdul Yunus Jamhari has assured the people that there will not be any disruption in water supply during the current heatwave as most of its dams are at a safe level.

A report in The Star yesterday said the MetMalaysia website has showed that several states are expected to see thunderstorms in the coming week.