FLOODS: OVER 5,000HA OF PADI FIELDS IN MADA AREAS IN AFFECTED

ALOR SETAR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- A total of 5,388.63 hectares (ha) of padi fields in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) areas across Kedah and Perlis have been affected by floods since Monday.

In a statetment today, MADA said that according to the Submerged Padi Monitoring Report, the affected areas were 20ha in Perlis Region I, 1,525.6ha in Jitra Region II, 2,206.7ha in Pendang Region III, and 1,636.33ha in Kota Sarang Semut Region IV.

“MADA will assess damage to padi crops through a census to be conducted once the waters have receded,” it said.

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The statement said that, as of Sept 18, 93.6 per cent of the padi planting areas in the Muda region for the 1/2024 season have flowered, with 68.3 per cent now in the ripening stage.

“The harvesting activity has reached 26.6 per cent and it is expected to be affected by the current weather conditions,” it said.

Meanwhile, as of Sept 18, the Muda area had received 1,500 millimetres (mm) of rainfall, with heavy rainfall of 109mm recorded in a single day on Sept 16.

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It said that most stations registered rainfall readings above 100mm, leading to a rise in the main river’s water level.

According to the statement, MADA has taken initial steps to divert excess water using the existing irrigation and drainage systems.

“All eight control gates of Sungai Kedah, Ampang Jajar are open and will only be closed when sea levels rise.

“MADA’s checks found that the water flow to the sea is slow due to the high tide phenomenon, predicted to occur from Sept 18 to 21, which could cause water overflow and flooding in land areas,” it said.

In the meantime, the statement said that water levels at three dams in the state have increased, with Pedu Dam recording 37.66 per cent, Muda Dam at 23.44 per cent, and Ahning Dam at 80.13 per cent.

-- BERNAMA