KOTA BARU: The Kemubu Agriculture Development Authority (Kada) in Kelantan has set up a special task force to study irrigation problems faced by padi farmers during this dry season.
Kada chairman Muhammad Husain said the team comprising Kada staff members would also suggest solutions to the problems.
"Kada now has a special task force to handle problems related to both dry and flood seasons.
"After conducting the research, they will suggest to Kada the solution such as how many water pumps and tube wells that need to be installed and their locations," he added.
He said the current drought is expected to affect rice yield. Currently, the soil in 5,000 hectares of padi fields out of 9,100 in the state have cracked due to lack of water and are badly damaged.
"The Kemubu pumping house is unable to operate as the river water level has dropped below the required 3.5m.
"Most of those affected are farmers in the northern and southern parts of Kota Baru, who depend on the Kemubu pumping station. In these areas the padi crop cannot be saved," he told reporters at a breaking of fast event in Kota Baru last night.
He added that Kada has also helped farmers to build tube wells at a cost of RM500,000, which is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
But the process of building tube wells is quite difficult because some areas do not have underground water.
He said the lack of water in padi fields of Kelantan is expected to be resolved after the third Kemubu pumping station is built in June next year.