PERLIS AQUACULTURE FARMERS ANXIOUS AS HEATWAVE REVIVES 1998 DRY POND FEARS

By Nur Syuhada Yusof

KANGAR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Aquaculture farmers in Perlis are bracing for a recurrence of the 1998 El Niño crisis, which saw ponds run completely dry, amid the ongoing prolonged hot and dry weather.

Freshwater fish and giant freshwater prawn farmer Bakri Derani, 60, who operates the ABE fishing pond in Sungai Batu Pahat here for over 40 years, said the current heatwave is more worrying than a similar one 28 years ago.

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He said during the 1998 El Niño, although his prawn and fish ponds dried up due to the heat, water sources from the hills did not dry up.

“This is the first time I’ve seen hill water sources dry up this severely. It has had a major impact on my ponds.

“I’m starting to worry because the water level has dropped drastically, from about 2.1 metres to 1.5 metres. My ponds risk drying up completely if the current hot weather persists,” he said when met by Bernama in Sungai Batu Pahat here today, while showing the dried-up water supply channel.

Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Operations) Ambun Dindang said on March 25 that the ongoing hot spell was expected to continue until the onset of the Southwest Monsoon in June.

According to Ambun, the country’s highest recorded temperature was 40.1 degrees Celsius in Chuping, Perlis, during the 1998 El Niño.

Meanwhile, Bakri said about 25 tonnes of freshwater fish, including rohu, tilapia, climbing perch and patin in five ponds, as well as 10 tonnes of giant freshwater prawns in a separate pond, are at risk due to water shortages and rising temperatures.

“When water levels drop, temperatures rise. I cannot carry out new breeding as the fish and prawn fry risk dying. I’m also afraid to add new stock under current conditions,” he said.

Bakri added that if the hot weather persists and causes the ponds to dry up completely, he could face losses ranging from RM100,000 to RM200,000, compared to only tens of thousands of ringgit in 1998.

The father of four also said he is currently relying on his family-run Warung D’ Kolam at the same location to cover daily operating costs, as the number of customers coming to fish has declined due to the extreme heat.

Bakri, who also runs the ABE Agro Farm, said chick and duckling production for his alternative business has dropped around 50 per cent due to the prolonged heat, which has disrupted the egg incubation process.

“The normal incubation temperature is 37.5°C, but the current high temperatures have caused many chicken and duck eggs that were supposed to hatch within 18 to 21 days to fail to hatch on schedule, with some even becoming spoiled,” he said.

He said around 500 chickens and ducks reared at Kampung Baru Syed Omar here need to be regularly cooled by spraying water into their enclosures at least three times a day to prevent sudden death due to heat stroke.

-- BERNAMA