IPOH – The government will carry out cloud seeding operations in the catchment area of the Bukit Merah dam in Semanggol, Kerian district in what is hoped to be a solution to overcome dry conditions in the area and help irrigate 19,508ha of drying padi fields there.
Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said the areas affected were the Kerian Integrated Agricultural Development (Iada) and part of Iada in Sg Acheh, Penang covering 1,267ha.
“Sub-sectors that will also benefit, apart from 8,889 farmers in the Iada Kerian area and 1,267 farmers from the Iada Penang area, are the fisheries and manufacturing sectors,” he said in a statement today.
Ronald said the National Disaster Management Agency, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the Royal Malaysian Air Force and other relevant agencies are expected to carry out the operations from June 14-16, depending on cloud condition suitability and appropriate humidity.
“It is a process to encourage the formation of rain clouds after the water level of the Bukit Merah dam, the main irrigation source for the agriculture area, started dipping to the Critical Irrigation Level 3 category of 6.10m (20 ft).
He said the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry will be holding talks with the Environment and Water Ministry, MetMalaysia, the Perak government and other relevant agencies to find long-term methods to resolve the issue.
Last Friday, Perak Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Razman Zakaria said he was confident that the cloud seeding process would help produce rain in the affected areas. – Bernama, June 11, 2022
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