ALOR SETAR: The hot weather with temperatures reaching 37 to 40 degrees Celsius which hit Kedah forced breeders and padi farmers to be more careful in carrying out animal husbandry and agricultural activities.
For cattle breeder, Mahadi Hasan, 45, the extremely hot weather conditions, especially at noon, caused him to focus more on caring for his livestock.
“The current heat made me bathe my cows twice a day. I also need to make sure my livestock is not exposed to hot weather for too long and take them to the shade.
“Before this, cows only bathed once in the evening, but in this hot weather the cows are bathed twice a day, at 11 am and in the evening,“ he said when met in Kampung Sungai Mati, Langgar near here today.
Mahadi said he also made sure his cattle get enough water and stay hydrated to avoid any situation that threatens the health of his livestock.
He also had to spend more to provide balanced and quality food for his livestock since the current hot weather also caused the grass in the grazing areas to dry up.
Meanwhile, padi farmer Mohd Shukri Shafie, 62, said the high temperature in the past three months had forced him to limit his padi planting activities in the rice fields.
He said that before he could work until the evening, but in the current hot weather, activities in the padi fields can only be done until 11 am or 12 noon.
“The production of rice also appears lower this season, because pests and diseases are also more active in this weather,“ he said.
He said, apart from that, the hot weather also affected the water supply to the padi areas, thus disrupting the planting activities in his 4.3 hectares padi fields in Kampung Limbong.
Yesterday, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) announced that a heat wave has occurred in Perlis and Pokok Sena, Kedah when temperature readings classified as Level 2 were recorded.
A heat wave or Level 2 occurs when the maximum daily temperature reaches 37 to 40 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days in an area.
According to MetMalaysia, there are 26 areas in the peninsula that are on alert (Level 1), namely in Kedah involving Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Padang Terap, Sik, Baling, Kuala Muda, Pendang and Kota Setar, while in Penang it involves the Northeast district and Perak involves Kampar, Kuala Kangsar and Kinta. -Bernama
