PERLIS is stricken by a paradox: water, water everywhere but the dams are depleting badly as the state ruefully parches under a troublingly overextended drought.
The water level at the main catchment Timah Tasoh dam has fallen dangerously low to 38.5 per cent, with the reservoir water level at only 26.9 metres.
If the drought continues, the current water supply will last for only three months, according to the state Irrigation and Drainage Department.
The damage has been catastrophic: 1,221 padi farmers outside the Muda Agricultural Development Authority area, which covers Titi Tinggi, Beseri, Paya and Bintong, have suffered failed crops. Why the prolonged drought?
Simply put, the climate crisis, in particular the El Nino phenomenon, has heightened the aridity of the tropics and subtropics, aggravated by higher than normal temperature.
More pointedly, Perlis has faced rising temperatures annually since 2007, which has affected land use and vegetation, exacerbated by weeks of no rain.
Last February, Perlis endured 29 consecutive rainless days, scorching Chuping with the mercury hitting 36.9°C — the hottest spot nationwide.
Expectations that the drought would end in May were overly optimistic, but there might be a sliver of hope: rain is expected during the transition from the southwest monsoon to the northeast monsoon between now and September.
The state government is weighing its options: if the dry weather persists, water rationing may be necessary, along with cloud seeding as a hopeful remedy.
If all else fails, here's one for the future: a desalination plant. However, if the costs don't kneecap the annual budgets, the construction will.
Desalination produces greenhouse gas emissions from the massive energy needed to operate the plant and dispenses residual brine — concentrated salt water that raises seawater salinity that damages local marine systems and water quality.
It's a Catch-22 of environmental consequences. What about digging for groundwater? Less vulnerable to the dry season and climate crisis, potentially large untapped volume, naturally protected, requiring less treatment and causing negligible damage to the environment.
Furthermore, groundwater is rich in minerals and nutrients that are good for health and agriculture.
The cost should be affordable, even for Perlis' modest revenue, plus a little bridging federal aid.
Alternatively, the federal government could undertake a massive national water supply piping project, connecting vulnerable states with those abundant in supply.
Is this even feasible? Costs aside, it is doable based on how we've endured mega financial busts to high-level corruption and still managed to survive and function: we can commit to this enormous undertaking.
The government would need to navigate though some tricky business, from raising funds — either from borrowings or future budget allocations — to tip-toeing through overcomplicated land acquisitions.
Other than that, it should be the obvious water supply rationalising measure.