MELAKA: Eight padi farmers in Klebang lost approximately RM250,000 after their farms and crops were contaminated with salt water that was pumped into their padi fields from the nearby Sungai Malim.
Klebang assemblyman Datuk Lim Ban Hong said the affected padi fields spanned 10.12ha in Pulau Gadong and Stulang Daeng.
He said the incident, which occurred over three weeks ago, forced affected farmers to cease planting padi for two seasons, resulting in around 60 metric tonnes of rice being unable to be harvested.
Farmer Lee Leng Sin, 66, said 2.02ha of his 4.05ha padi field in Pulau Gadong was unaffected by the salty water.
He described the incident as the worst he had experienced in his 40 years of farming, with half of his land damaged.
