Rain, rain, don’t go away: Inclement weather did not stop visitors at a beach in Marang, Terengganu. — Bernama
ALOR SETAR: There will be no more cloud seeding operations at the moment as the Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast more rain which will help raise water levels in all three dams in the state, says the Muda Agricultural Development Agency (Mada).
Its chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh said more rain is expected in August, September and October.
“Until Aug 1, Mada rain stations recorded readings of 30mm of rainfall in the catchment areas of Pedu Dam and Muda Dam as a result of the three-day cloud seeding operation,” he said.
Ismail said Kedah’s water resources will be at a critical stage only if the water capacity of Pedu Dam drops to 15%.
He said that currently, the dam was at 37.02% and was categorised as both normal and high.
“There seems to be panic among the people when cloud seeding operations were conducted from July 29 to 31.
“They think when there’s an operation, it means that the water supply has nearly run out.
“Actually, the situation is normal and has happened before.
“Those who wish to know whether the water situation in Kedah is critical or not can look at the capacity of Pedu Dam as it gathers water from Muda Dam and Ahning Dam before channelling it to consumers,” he said at a media conference here yesterday, Bernama reported.
As of yesterday, the combined capacity of all three dams was 41.97%.
“The overall total capacity is still high compared with the lowest capacity recorded from 1974 to 2023.
“Pedu Dam recorded a 11.21% capacity in April 1982, Muda Dam 2.7% in March 1978, and Ahning Dam 27% in March 2005.
“The overall total capacity is still adequate to meet current needs and demands.
“It can support padi planting irrigation for one or two seasons and also agricultural, domestic and industrial needs,” he said.
He hoped that farmers would comply with planting schedules to ensure the effective use of water and avoid waste to maximise their harvests.
