By Ahmad Mukhsein Mukhtar
ALOR STAR: Che Ani Md Zain, 60, a long-time Jerlun padi farmer and part-time coastal fisherman, is increasingly witnessing a troubling phenomenon – seawater entering padi fields.
He said the sea has encroached further on land in the past few years, flooding low-lying areas along the coast.
"If our riverbanks and embankments (bunds) aren't improved, tides will keep pushing further inland.
"Areas in the north that never had seawater might experience it in 10 years if nothing is done."
Che Ani is among farmers struggling with rising sea levels as a result of climate change.
Mohd Sabri Mansor, 66, has farmed in Kampung Sungai Yan his entire life, tending fields right next to the Strait of Malacca.
He said the sea has pushed farther inland in recent years.
"Water levels used to rise but remained by the riverbanks. Now the saltwater seeps into our fields.
"We don't understand why it's happening, but our soil has suddenly turned brackish."
Sabri said high-tide floods used to hit the padi fields once a year.
"Now it happens three or four times a year. There is no pattern anymore."
At his age, Sabri has scaled back to farming 2 relong (0.5ha), but even that small inherited lot is at risk whenever the ocean swells.
Not far from Sabri's plot, Azizan Hashim, 64, recounted how he lost an entire plot to saltwater inundation.
"All the seedlings turned yellow and died. I had to wash the salt out and start over," Azizan said.
The replanting set him back thousands of ringgit.
"This kind of loss is happening more often now. It's unpredictable, and we're not ready for it," he said.
Azizan, who oversees about 10 relong (2.5ha), said farmers in his village are anxious every time the full moon approaches, a period known for king tides.
Many have begun checking tide timetables as regularly as the weather forecast.
In response to these creeping tides, some innovators are taking matters into their own hands.
Ahmad Husni Mohd Isa, who leads the Kedah Malays Cooperative's farming division in the area, has devised a makeshift irrigation system to prevent saltwater intrusion.
"Without it, this whole village's harvest could be gone," Husni said, gesturing towards the system built from plastic pipes and wooden planks.
Husni believes global phenomena are manifesting on their shores.
Ice caps melting half a world away contribute to higher sea levels here, he said, and the gravitational tug of the moon now brings markedly higher tides.
"It may sound far-fetched, but there's more water now. When the moon pulls, more water comes in, and we can see the effects."
The community knows that improvisation can only go so far. Husni said authorities have been supportive, with short-term measures like maintaining old embankments, but more robust infrastructure is needed.
"We're not fighting climate change; we're preparing for it. The sea is rising, so we have to rise to the challenge too."
He recalled a bold idea floated in the 1990s by the late former Kedah menteri besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, who suggested growing padi on rooftops.
"People thought it was crazy back then, but by 2035, who knows?
"We might be planting rice on roofs or on floating platforms if that's what it takes."
Source : rising-challenge-rising-seas-and-seawater-breaching-padi-fields