ALOR SETAR: Padi farmers here are bracing for the start of the southwest monsoon which is expected to mark the start of the dry spell until mid-September.
State water supply, water resources and public works committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob said temperature and rainfall distribution are among the factors that could affect the padi harvest.
“The optimum for padi cultivation is 24°C to 34°C with rainfall exceeding 2,000mm per year.
“Farmers also need a large amount of water to promote root formation, nutrient uptake and growth of rice seedlings.
“Drought and high temperatures are the main problems that could have a negative impact and cause loss of yield as well as reduce food resources,” she said in a statement.
Suraya said the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) has estimated that an increase of 1°C in temperature could have an impact on padi output.
“When the surrounding temperature increases by more than 35% , it will badly affect padi plants,” she said.
She added that the output of rice could decrease by as much as 50% if the padi plants do not have enough water while they are still growing.
“A study conducted in 2010 using computer simulations predicted that padi production in Malaysia would decrease by 34.8% per hectare in 2060 due to a 1°C increase in temperature at the existing level of carbon dioxide concentration.
“This (the study) involved farmers in Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, Kedah and Perak,” she said.
To address the water shortage during the monsoon season in Kedah, Suraya said Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada) has three plans.
“As a short-term measure, water tankers will be sent to affected areas and a total of 280 static water tanks will be placed at locations identified all over the state that have a high risk of water shortages.
“As a medium-term measure, Sada is currently identifying the cause of a leakage at the old reticulation system through active leakage control (ALC), with the objective of reducing non-revenue water.
“As for the long term, the upgrading work of five water treatment plants in the state is currently ongoing according to schedule and is expected to be completed in two or three years,” she added.
Suraya said that once the treatment plants are completed, they will increase the capacity of treated water and improve its distribution in the state.
She said the state government and Sada have agreed to work with the private sector to address the issue of non-revenue water (NRW).
“This plan has entered its final phase where the state government is now waiting for approval from the Environment and Water Ministry before moving on to the next phase.
“As the implementation of this project will be costly, the state and Sada need to make a detailed assessment through a thorough check-and-balance process to ensure that the plan runs smoothly,” she said, adding that Kedahans should now use water wisely due to the water shortage issue.