Composition | A Drought

Malaysia is a country near the equator. It gets a lot of rain throughout the year, and droughts are not common here. But last year, there was a serious drought in my state. It lasted for almost three months.

In the beginning, when the rain stopped for a week, people were happy. They were tired of the rain and enjoyed the bright sunshine. But soon, everyone started missing the rain. By the end of the second week, people were complaining about the heat and saying that there was a drought.

During this time, the grass became completely dry. All the small plants and flowers that usually grow naturally died. The farmers had been watering their vegetable gardens by carrying or draining water from nearby ponds, but now even the ponds and pools had dried up. It was clear that the plants would die soon. The rice crop was also severely affected.

The cattle didn't have enough grass to eat and started starving. Because nobody had expected a drought, there was no stock of food for the animals. They were in a terrible condition.

The streams in the affected areas first became very small and then completely dried up. The only source of water left was the wells in the villages. But after a few days, even those wells ran dry.

Then something unexpected happened. We had never thought that the nearby forests would cause us any trouble. One night, a tiger entered our village and took away a young calf. The tiger had come looking for water. To protect our village from such wild animals, we had to take steps. But we could only protect the village. Every night, herds of animals from the jungle came out in search of water. Since there was no water, they ate the rice and other crops that were still standing.

After the wells dried up, we had to walk or ride bicycles to faraway places in search of water. One day, when a group from our village was passing by a military camp, the camp officer asked them where they were going. When they explained their situation, the officer told them not to leave the village anymore. He promised to send water to them every day. The villagers returned home, although they weren't fully convinced that the promise would be kept.

The next day, a big military truck arrived at our village. It had a tank full of water. People stood in a long line with buckets in their hands and received enough water for the day. This truck and many others continued to supply water to several villages affected by the drought until the rain came again. Public and government welfare organizations also helped other villages. The government provided food for the cattle and rice for the people in the affected areas.

People often prayed for rain in mosques and temples. After almost three months, the rain finally came again. On the first day, it rained heavily, and there were floods everywhere. Nobody complained about the floods after suffering from the drought.