ALOR SETAR: Water levels in the three dams managed by the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) remain adequate, for both domestic needs and padi cultivation.

Mada chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh expressed confidence that, despite the challenges posed by climate change, the dams will meet water supply needs, including supporting the start of the new padi cultivation season at the end of this month.

He said that the current water levels are as follows: Pedu Dam and Muda Dam are at 9.16%, while Ahning Dam is at 40.93%.

“The current water levels in all three dams are sufficient for the needs of Season 2/2024,” he told reporters yesterday, Bernama reported.

He also noted that, as of Aug 29, the progress of padi planting activities for Season 1/2024 shows that 11.5% of the padi is ripe, with harvesting activities at 1.5%.

“I am pleased to note that compliance with the padi planting schedule has improved significantly, reaching 73.6%, compared with 28.3% in Season 1/2023. This represents a substantial increase, of 45.3%,” Ismail said.

He attributed this improvement to several factors, including the implementation of a padi planting schedule which aligns with current conditions, the availability of sufficient and legal padi seeds in the market, and the execution of a soil restoration programme.

Ismail also noted that, while the annual average rainfall in the area had decreased from January to March, it has since increased, reaching nearly the 20-year average.

“Based on the weather forecast from the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the La Nina phenomenon is expected to occur between September and November, with a 66% probability, and it is predicted to persist into early 2025,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/05/water-in-mada-dams-sufficient-for-domestic-use-padi-fields