Mada to ensure efficient water use ahead of anticipated drought next year

The Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) is committed to ensuring the efficient use of water from the three dams under its jurisdiction to mitigate the anticipated effects of the prolonged drought expected next year, its chairperson Ismail Salleh said.

He said the authority expects an increase in water levels at the Pedu, Ahning and Muda dams by the end of this year, which should ensure sufficient supply for agricultural, domestic and industrial use.

“It is currently the harvest season in the Mada agricultural area, and the release of water from the dams has been halted. With the onset of rainfall, water levels are beginning to rise. We hope that the water level at the Pedu Dam will reach 72 percent of its capacity by the end of this year.

“This level would be ideal for us to proceed with paddy cultivation for the 2/2024 and 1/2025 planting seasons. According to our data and the forecast of the Malaysian Meteorological Department, we are confident that we will not face any water supply issues next year,” he said.

Ismail was speaking to reporters yesterday at the northern zone “Jelajah Amanat Merdeka” programme, officiated by the programme director, Senator Mujahid Yusof Rawa, at the Guar Chempedak Permanent Farmers’ Market.

He also noted that farmers have been reminded to adhere strictly to the paddy-planting and water release schedules to prevent water wastage.

“We do not rely solely on water from the dams. We also depend on rainfall. We practise water recycling and distribute it to higher areas on a rotational basis.

“The Ahning Dam supports the Pedu Dam when the water level at the latter is low. For instance, we recently released 400 million litres from the Ahning Dam to the Pedu Dam,” he explained.

As of today, the water levels stand at 34.72 percent at the Pedu Dam, 14.12 percent at the Muda Dam, and 78.82 percent at the Ahning Dam.

- Bernama

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