Eight Klebang Farmers Lose RM250,000 Due To Salt-Contaminated Water

MELAKA, March 4 (Bernama) -- Eight paddy farmers in Klebang lost approximately RM250,000 after their farms and crops were contaminated with salt water that was pumped into their paddy fields from the nearby Sungai Malim.

Klebang assemblyman, Datuk Lim Ban Hong, said the affected paddy fields spanned 10.12 hectares in the areas of Pulau Gadong and Stulang Daeng, and the incident was discovered to have occurred more than three weeks ago.

He said that the incident forced the affected farmers to cease planting paddy for one to two seasons, resulting in around 60 metric tonnes of rice being unable to be harvested, compared to previous seasons.

"The water used for rice irrigation in the affected area is pumped from Sungai Malim but it is believed that the river water has mixed with seawater that entered the reservoir area," he said.

"As a result of this incident, the roots of the rice seedlings were damaged and could not be harvested, causing significant losses for the farmers involved," he told reporters during a visit to the affected paddy fields around Pulau Gadong today.

The affected farmers attempted various methods, including traditional ways to neutralise the salt-contaminated soil, but were unsuccessful, leading to further financial losses.

Lim referred the issue to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) to explore possible assistance for the farmers, such as restoring the soil in the affected paddy fields.

He also called on the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to upgrade the manual system of the river's dam gates to prevent seawater from entering the river more efficiently, avoiding future incidents.

Additionally, Lim urged the swift completion of the RM50 million Bukit Rambai Rice Irrigation Scheme, which includes land acquisition, to ensure a more systematic irrigation system and sufficient water supply for farming.

The system is expected to be fully operational by 2027, and will support 815 hectares of agricultural land in Kelebang, including rice and various vegetables.

Farmer Lee Leng Sin, 66, reported that only 2.02 hectares of his 4.05-hectare paddy 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.

-- BERNAMA