Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 9 Mar 19;
RANTAU PANJANG: Sungai Golok here is drying up due to the unrelenting heatwave – ironically, though, this is allowing scorched residents to safely enter the now-shallow river and indulge in water activities to cool down.
Checks by NST along the river last night showed dozens of people taking the opportunity to swim or play with sand along the riverbank. Some are even able to easily cross the river to enter Thailand .
Amidst the carnival-like atmosphere, sand is clearly visible on the river bed.
Nor Balkish Khairul, 12, who was spotted with her friends at the river, said they had been going to the riverbank since Thursday after being informed that the water had receded.
"We came after 5.30pm to join other villagers to swim in the river. It allowed us to cool off from the hot weather.
"The number of visitors increased (on Friday) compared to yesterday. News of the river drying up had spread fast," she added.
The Year Six pupil of SK Sri Rantau Panjang 1 said that the atmosphere is like a ‘water festival’, with large groups of people enjoying picnics by the river and taking dips in the water.
Another visitor, who only wanted to be known as Zack, said he brought his two children, aged 4 and 6, to play at the river while waiting for his wife to finish work.
"Three years ago, Sungai Golok dried up completely following a dry spell. It's happening again.
"Villagers living in the surrounding area have started to come here since last week, and I believe that after the news spread on social media, people outside Rantau Panjang will also come here," said the 38-year-old trader from Kampung Pasir.
Zack said that the hot weather had caused the river level to drop to between 0.5m and 1m since last week.
In May 2016, the ‘water festival’ lasted for almost a week following the long dry spell that hit the state.
Wildfires raging near Miri city
stephen then The Star 9 Mar 19;
MIRI: Wildfires are raging in the forests and bushland of Kuala Baram district, north of Miri city.
A big fire has broken out near the Tudan 5 squatter resettlement area located about 20km from the city centre.
Firemen from Miri have been deployed, and they are now at the site battling the flames raging in thick vegetation.
Miri fire chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said firemen with long hoses and mechanical pumps were doing their best to contain the fires.
Tube wells and check dams help fight fires caused by open burning
Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 9 Mar 19;
KOTA BARU: The installation of 12 tube wells and 25 check dams at high-risk districts in Kelantan has helped authorities to fight fires caused by open burning, especially during the dry spell.
The project, costing nearly RM3 million, was funded by the Federal Government.
Kelantan Department of Environment (DOE) director Hamzah Mohamad said nine of the tube wells were installed in Bachok and the remaining three in Pasir Mas. All the check dams were installed in Bachok.
He said each tube well cost about RM250,000, including maintenance, and supplies underground water to the drainage system.
Hamzah said the wells, which were installed since 2009, had helped officers from the Fire and Rescue Services Department to put out peat fires, especially from open burning activities.
“Water from the tube wells are also channeled to the check dams, and used by firemen to put out fires. It can be used in other fire prone areas as well,” he said, adding that the tube wells were maintained by the state Drainage and Irrigation Department.
Asked on open burning cases during the dry spell, Hamzah said the situation was not so critical as the Fire and Rescue Services Department had thus far managed to put it under control before it got worse.
He said the department had set up three teams to monitor open burning during the hot weather.
“The teams are deployed to the fire prone areas from 2pm to 10pm everyday to monitor the situation,” he said.
Hamzah also reminded the public and factory operators not to conduct open burning, or risk being slapped with a maximum compound of RM2,000, or a RM500,000 fine or jail of not more than five years, or both upon conviction.
Increase in two veg prices
zazali musa The Star 9 Mar 19;
JOHOR BARU: Customers have to fork out extra to buy ladies’ fingers and long beans as the supplies of these two vegetables have dwindled due to the current hot spell.
Vegetable seller Ah Moi, 49, said the prices of long beans and ladies’ fingers have increased from RM6.50 per kg to RM8 and RM9 per kg respectively since last month.
“Prior to the dry spell, we normally get about 20kg of ladies’ fingers to sell on Saturdays and Sundays but now, our regular supplier only gives us 5kg,’’ she said when met at the Perling market here.
Ah Moi said on the other hand, prices of leafy vegetables such as spinach, pak choy and kailan as well as fresh local red chillies have either stabilised or gone down due to bountiful harvest.
“They will normally ask me to keep the vegetables for them when they come the next day,’’ said Ah Moi.
Another vegetable seller Ah Peng, 65, at the Larkin market said he was also having problems getting ladies’ fingers and long beans from his suppliers during the current hot weather.
He was rather baffled why the current dry spell is affecting the supplies of these two vegetables in particular.
“We usually have problems getting our supplies during wet weather as it affects vegetable yields from farms, causing prices to increase by as much as 20%,’’ said Ah Peng.
Housewife K. Soosila Devi, 45, from Bandar Selesa Jaya, said she has replaced ladies’ fingers with brinjals for her fish curry due to the price increase.
“So far, my family is not complaining and I will start using ladies’ fingers again when the price comes down,” she said.
Nasi campur seller Rozita Ramli, 58, from Taman Pelangi, said she has no choice but to use ladies’ fingers in her assam pedas as the vegetable goes well with the hot and spicy fish gravy.
“I’ve tried using brinjals in the gravy but my regular customers don’t like them,” she said.
