ALOR SETAR, Dec 23 — The water level in Kedah dams has dropped to 60 per cent of its capacity due to the release of water to meet the needs of the state’s agricultural sector.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the situation was a bit worrying if there was no rain in the near future and more water from all the dams had to be released.
“Lately we’ve been having an unusually dry spell, supposedly there must be rain this month and now it is the second season of planting paddy, but the water supply is low due to less rainfall.
“We have to release water from the dam and if it continues without rain, we fear it will affect the first season of next year’s rice crop,” he said in a live broadcast on Radio Malaysia Kedahfm here, today.
In this regard, he called on all parties, especially the Muslims, to perform the ‘solat hajat’ prayers for rain in the rice bowl state.
Meanwhile, Mukhriz said the state’s non-revenue water (NRW) rate was still at a high level of 48 per cent. — Bernama
