| Azlan Othman |
THE El Nino weather phenomenon has brought about scorching heat across Brunei Darussalam, affecting farmer fresh fruit and vegetable yields, lowering their output.
Jamal, a local farmer operating at the agricultural communal farm in Lumapas planting cucumber and eggplant, said it affects farmers who use the conventional style of farming compared to those who use technological farming.
“It needs constant monitoring of water supply and disease which is rampant during this dry period,” he said. “In other words, the plant system will experience stress. I was told by an officer from the Vegetable Technology Unit to treat the produce as living things.”
“However the current weather will not affect much for those who use the technological system except for the need to use controlled fertilisation,” he added.
Jamal added the heat wave causes more fires on agricultural land, forest and peatlands and affect the supply of traditional vegetables called ‘Lemiding’ which grows in the wild.
The aftermath of a bushfire near the Seria-Mumong Bypass. – FILE PHOTO
Besides the damage caused, this also contributes to ‘haze’, he feared.
According to Brunei’s Meteorological Department, rainfall is below normal this month and rainfall deficit exceeds 40 per cent of the average long term rainfall.
The Meteorological Department noted that based on the latest seasonal climate forecasts issued by leading world climate centres, strong El Nino conditions are predicted to persist over the Pacific Ocean before gradually weakening by June 2016.
Because of this global phenomenon, Brunei Darussalam is experiencing much less rainfall activity particularly this month. March is known to be the month with the lowest rainfall amount for Brunei Darussalam besides February, as compared to the other months.
Despite the expected reduction of rainfall, such activities can still potentially occur around the country, especially among the coastal region during the early morning hours.
The heat wave caused by El Nino is quite unbearable and provides a glimpse of the conditions that will result from climate change.
El Nino refers to a warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific and is associated with a band of warm ocean water and changes to weather patterns in the affected areas.
El Nino happens at irregular intervals of two to seven years, on an average of five years; when it takes place, it can last many months or more than a year.
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