Fields and canals drying up

GEORGE TOWN: The scorching weather is drying up irrigation canals and turning fields brown in the north of the peninsula, where the current hot spell is at its worst.

In Balik Pulau, Muhammad Ihsan Tarmizi, 14, who used to catch fish at a canal near his village, Kampung Perlis, found the waterway dry and its bed parched.

“I thought I could fish there since I’m back home from boarding school for the school holidays,” said the boy, adding that his family liked the freshwater fish.

In the city, the Esplanade field has turned brown due to the prolonged hot and dry weather.

Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said there had been very little rainfall over the past 30 days with daytime temperatures soaring to 35°C.

Urging Penangites to conserve water, Jaseni said there was no immediate danger of a water crisis or a need for rationing. However, the public, he said, should avoid using a hose to wash their vehicles and reduce the frequency of car washes.

“Hosing wastes water. Avoid using a hose at all costs,” said Jaseni.