El Niño Phenomenon During Dry Season, Farmers in Pidie Flock to Use Water Pump Machines

The El Niño natural phenomenon has disrupted farmers in Aceh Province, as thousands of hectares of rice paddies planted during the second planting season are now experiencing a water crisis. To prevent the drought from worsening, farmers across Pidie Regency are flocking to use water pump machines to draw remaining water from the bottom of large channels or drainage canals.

Observations in the Lampoih Saka customary area, Peukan Baro District, Pidie Regency, showed farmers installing water pump machines along the local secondary irrigation channels. Those with rice paddies close to the channels used only a suction hose and a rubber hose, while those with fields tens of metres away had to use lightweight plastic distribution pipes.

‘It depends on the size of the paddy field. If many people are queuing, you have to pump day and night. Moreover, the water flow in the channel is small and slow,’ said Muhammad Nasir, a farmer leader in Peukan Baro District. Similar scenes were observed in the irrigation channels of Mutiara, Indrajaya, and Delima Districts, where using water pump machines is a method to save rice crops from drought.

Another farmer, Muslim, noted that if a channel is nearby and still has water, this is the main way to save crops from drought. However, for paddy fields far from large channels, even a small pump machine cannot be used if there are no small distribution channels. Observations indicate that most rice crops in Pidie Regency are between one and two months old, with some only 10 to 20 days old, and they still require significant water, especially those in the booting or grain-filling stages. There are concerns that if the drought worsens or continues, it could lead to crop failure.