Telaga tiub atasi masalah petani di musim kemarau

Ismail Sabri

PENDANG - Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani akan membina telaga tiub sebagai penyelesaian kepada masalah pengairan yang dihadapi segelintir petani di beberapa kawasan di Kedah setiap kali tiba musim kemarau.

Menterinya Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata telaga tiub yang menggunakan kaedah menyedut air daripada bawah tanah adalah langkah terbaik dan boleh dibina segera untuk menyalirkan air ke kawasan sawah setiap kali tiba musim kering.

"Saya dah maklumkan kepada BPSP (Bahagian Pengairan dan Saliran Pertanian) supaya buat kajian mengenai telaga tiub ini. Ia boleh menyedut air bawah tanah waktu musim biasa atau kemarau, sepanjang tahun," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan wang ehsan kepada petani yang terjejas akibat kemarau di Kampung Bendang Raja, Kubur Panjang dekat sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata bagi kampung tersebut yang kawasan sawahnya terjejas teruk hingga menyebabkan petani hilang pendapatan musim ini, kajian segera akan dijalankan untuk mengetahui sama ada tanah di kawasan itu sesuai atau tidak dibina telaga tiub.

"Untuk (penyelesaian) jangka panjang yang lebih baik ialah membawa air daripada Sungai Padang Terap, 25 km daripada sini melalui paip dan sebagainya dan disalirkan ke Sungai Lampam (untuk disalirkan ke sawah).

"Tapi projek ini memerlukan belanja besar, mungkin mencecah RM100 juta dan perlu dapat kelulusan, untuk cepat ialah telaga tiub. Kalau ada (sumber air bawah tanah) boleh bina segera, yang lain perlukan paip dan sebagainya dan perlu jangka masa panjang," kata Ismail Sabri. 

Sementara itu, beliau berkata pihak kementerian juga telah menubuhkan sebuah jawatankuasa khas menangani bencana baru-baru ini untuk mendapatkan laporan berkaitan isu berkenaan dari kawasan-kawasan lain.

"Sekarang hanya dapat laporan di Kedah, mungkin lepas ini di Melaka dan sebagainya. Kemungkinan kawasan lain tak timbul isu ini (terjejas akibat kemarau) sebab dah selesai menuai," katanya. 

Terdahulu pada majlis itu, Ismail Sabri menyampaikan sumbangan bernilai lebih RM2.393 juta kepada 1,570 pesawah yang kehilangan punca pendapatan akibat kemarau pada musim ini.

Setiap petani menerima RM1,400 bagi setiap hektar sawah mereka yang rosak akibat kemarau berpunca daripada perubahan iklim tidak menentu iaitu negara berada pada fasa pertengahan monsun timur laut. 

Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladang Kedah telah mengenal pasti kawasan sawah seluas 1,661.84 hektar yang terjejas, membabitkan 42 kawasan di bawah pengendalian 10 Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan. - Bernama

'The Journey' tops Malaysia's all-time box office records

KUALA LUMPUR: A love story that transcends cultures and generations ‘The Journey’ is now Malaysia’s No. 1 local movie when it achieved the highest box office sales of RM12.92 million as at 23 February 2014.

Presented by Astro Shaw and produced by Woohoo Pictures, the admissions has not declined for 25 days since its release date, going against traditional trends.

The director Chiu Keng Guan thanked the public for making the movie Malaysia’s No. 1 local movie.

"All of us involved in the production of the movie from the cast to crew are delighted and overwhelmed by the unanimous support and words of encouragement from Malaysians from all walks of life via word of mouth, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.

"‘The Journey’ is a beautiful Malaysian made movie with a huge Malaysian appeal as it transcends cultures and generations, thus celebrating the values of filial piety, love, family unity, cultural diversity, as well as themes of east-west and parent-child tension,” he said.

‘The Journey’ received some heartfelt praises from our local artists.

Sharifah Armani, a popular actress posted on her Instagram – “A cross-continental story that explores the idea of culture, not just as tradition but as an expression of love. No hantu with bad make up. No big stars overdoing it. No crash boom bang. But full of love, tradition and beauty. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to watch this beautiful film. (Cry likegila) My favourite Malaysian film so far this year. With amazing shots, wonderful story and honest performances The Journey is hard to beat. Well done director, cast and team. Thank you for a beautiful film. There is still hope for Malaysian films. Syukur Alhamdulillah.”

Muzaffar Mustapa (@SultanMuzaffar), a popular blogger said on twitter, “Although ‘The Journey’ shows a significant difference in culture, it truly represents a Malaysian identity that can bring us closer as a nation. A must watch!”

Datin Sofia Jane, a popular actress mentioned on twitter, “I’m so glad for its overwhelming run. I enjoyed it tremendously. Wished my dad was around to watch it with me. #thejourney.”

Ben Andrew Pfeiffer, who plays Benji in the movie said, “I am overwhelmed with the film’s reception. This movie truly belongs to the Malaysian people. What a surprising and beautiful outcome for everyone involved. I would like to thank Astro Shaw for placing their faith in the entire team. It feels like this will be a film that stays in the hearts of all who witness it for a long time to come. It's become a cultural and national treasure".

Other than Australian stage actor Ben Andrew Pfeiffer, all the other actors like 74 year-old retiree Frankie Lee and Joanne Yew, who is the winner of Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2007, as well as other actors are amateurs and this translates to a sincere and honest performance on screen.

The story revolves around a conservative father who reluctantly agrees to his daughter’s marriage to a foreigner. The movie places importance in the concept of family, a universal theme that is relevant to all cultures regardless of background.

Astro will continue to look to engage more local talents in line with our efforts in developing a more diverse talent pool for the industry. ‘The Journey’ is the third part of a film trilogy by award winning director Chiu Keng Guan – with Woohoo! (2010) and Great Day (2011), both top grossing films in local cinemas respectively.

‘The Journey’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide and will make its theatrical debut in Singapore in March. This movie is also slated for a release in Taiwan later this year.

Astro Awani