Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said if the Bukit Merah area was declared a disaster zone, the National Security Council (NSC) could help the affected farmers, especially around Kerian district, to assess the losses.
“In case (a state of emergency) is declared, it does not mean that the area is closed, but the government will make an assessment in terms of losses and so on, especially for affected farmers,” he told reporters after attending the state-level 2016 Vaisakhi Open House celebrations here yesterday.
Zambry urged the relevant authorities, including the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry to view the situation in the area as critical since it involved an area of 5,000 hectares of paddy crop.
“It is not just about the lake area, but it also involves the farmers in the area, which will certainly affect the rice production in Perak and the country,” he said.
However, Zambry said the department would continue to monitor the situation in Bukit Merah, including the distribution of rainfall from time to time.
“I have asked State Secretary Abdul Puhat Mat Nayan to take the next step for the declaration if the situation gets critical,” he said.
Meanwhile, Perak Public Utilities, Infrastructure, Energy and Water Committee chairman, Zainol Fadzi Paharudin said the water level at the Tasik Bukit Merah Dam this morning rose 0.003 metre (0.01 feet) to 6,096 metres (20 feet) as compared to 6,065 metres (19.9 feet) recorded on Saturday.
When contacted by Bernama yesterday, he said the rise in water level was due to rain in the catchment area yesterday and he hoped the rain would continue.
Meanwhile, commenting on Zambry’s statement, NSC Secretary Alias Ahmad said the council was no longer responsible for damage or loss assessments following a disaster.
He said the role had been taken over by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) that was established last year.
“NSC is no longer taking care of disasters. This is currently handled by the new agency called NADMA” he said in a WhatsApp message to Bernama here yesterday.
– BERNAMA