There’s a saying “hujan itu rahmat Allah” (rain is God’s blessing), which is exactly what the sun-drenched folk in Kerian district, Perak, are hoping for — a blessing from above to relieve them of this scorching weather brought on by El Nino.
It has been more than 90 days since it last rained in Kerian, save for a few days of intermittent showers as a result of cloud seeding, but which did not do much to cool the environment or raise the water level of Bukit Merah dam, the main water source for domestic and agriculture use in the district.
As of yesterday, the water level only increased slightly to 6.2m, but if there is no rain in the next few days, the water can last for another 30 days. The level dipped to 6m last Monday, which is below the norm of between 7m and 8.55m, raising concerns of a critical shortage.
As it is, the Drainage and Irrigation Department’s decision to release water from the dam to help irrigate dry padi fields recently, has further reduced the water level at Bukit Merah lake. It may have helped the affected farmers, but unfortunately, those depending on the lake for their source of income will be facing hardship.
Some 17,000ha of padi fields in Kerian had been planted with seedlings since February, and 5,000ha of the areas are drying up.
The Bukit Merah dam supplies water to some 250,000 people in Kerian through the Semanggol and Jalan Baru treatment plants.
Built in 1906, the dam is located upstream of the confluence of Sungai Kurau and Sungai Merah, with a storage capacity of 92.8 million cubic metres. Besides padi farmers and lake fishermen, others affected by the drought are those staying in Bukit Merah Laketown Resort and Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island.
The Perak government is expected to start rationing water soon, but the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) wants it to be done immediately.
“Why wait and risk the livelihood and welfare of the people? The dam may dry up and we cannot predict when this drought will end,” said SPAN commissioner Datuk Dr N. Marimuthu recently after visiting the Bukit Merah lake and Gunung Semanggol water treatment plant.
“Water rationing will make the people aware that there is a water crisis, and they should avoid wastage.”
Bukit Merah Laketown Resort assistant director of sales and marketing Aslina Ahmad admitted that they were badly affected by El Nino, which caused the number of visitors to drop by 50 per cent. Since the lake bed near the resort has dried up, all water activities had been halted.
MK Land Hotels and Resorts group general manager (resorts) Kamal Huessein was upset when he spoke of the water problems faced by the popular resort.
He said releasing the water from the dam might have brought relief to padi farmers, but it has affected operations at his resort.
“All our tourist boats are grounded on the lake bed and water chalet guests can no longer fish from the balcony of their units,” he said, as he pointed towards the muddy lake bed where the water chalets stood.
The main jetty’s beams and foundation were exposed. Before the drought, anglers could easily land a 3kg fish catch from the chalet’s balcony or at the main jetty.
Avid anglers have complained that their favourite fish species, such as toman and kaloi, are becoming rare to catch. They believe most of them have swum away into the rivers when the dam’s floodgates were opened, and it will take years for the species to repopulate the lake.
Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation chief executive officer Dr D. Sabapathy also shared the woes caused by the drying lake.
Her staff had to use canoes to ferry food and medicine for the 24 orang utan living on the island.
Formerly known as Pulau Panjang, the 14-hectare site also houses research and education facilities on the endangered primate.
The DID has stopped releasing water from the Bukit Merah dam for agriculture activities as it tries to focus on domestic users.
The Perak government is hopeful that the Federal Government will provide assistance, especially for farmers and fishermen.
It will apply for a special RM200 million fund to deepen Bukit Merah from 8.55m to 9.9m.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has urged the relevant authorities, including the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry, to critically view the situation in Kerian.
“It is not just about the lake’s vicinity, but also the farmers. Their productivity will be affected, and so will Perak and the country.”
While waiting for the drought to end, which may take longer than expected due to the unpredictable weather pattern, the authorities must implement mitigating measures to prevent a recurrence.
Better to be prepared now or face the consequences later. As the popular Chinese proverb goes: “Dig your well before you are thirsty”.
M. Hamzah Jamaludin is a UM science graduate who refuses to follow Einstein’s path, and chooses journalism for a colourful life. It’s a crucial decision which helps to spare dozens of labs and research facilities from accidental explosions