150,000 Papar residents hit by drought
Published on: Saturday, March 16, 2024
By: FMT
Papar was declared a drought disaster area on Wednesday following a water supply crisis due to the hot weather for the past few weeks. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: About 150,000 people in Papar, Sabah, have been affected by the ongoing drought, said district disaster management committee chairman Fuad Abdullah.
Fuad, who is also the district officer, said 42 villages, seven schools, seven housing estates and three places of worship in the district are also affected by the disaster, Bernama reported.
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The district was declared a drought disaster area on Wednesday following a water supply crisis due to the hot weather for the past few weeks.
Fuad said seven 10,000-litre tanker lorries from the state water department are among the assets that have been deployed to ensure the residents have clean water.
He said the Papar fire and rescue station has recorded nine fires in the district since March 9, with the latest being a grass fire covering 0.81ha in Pengalat Besar this afternoon.
He said the drought has also affected the district’s agriculture sector, particularly the 93 padi farmers in Limbahau (54.68ha) and Biau Padawan (30.22ha).
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