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Pendang District
View on WikipediaKey Information
Pendang District Council Majlis Daerah Pendang | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 Mac 1979 |
| Leadership | |
President | Ilias Shuib |
District Secretary | Muhammad Annas Baharudin |
| Meeting place | |
| Wisma MDP, 06700, Pendang, Kedah Darul Aman. | |
| Website | |
| pbt | |
The Pendang District is a town, a district and a parliamentary constituency in Kedah, Malaysia. The district is primarily covered with paddy fields with agriculture being its main economic activity.[3] Pendang town is about 20 km from state capital Alor Setar.
History
[edit]Historically, Pendang was one of the largest breeding grounds for the elephants used to transport tributary goods to Thailand. Pendang was previously part of Alor Setar, and was contested as Kota Star Selatan until the 1980s. Pendang became a district in its own right in February 1975.[4]
Administrative divisions
[edit]
Pendang District is divided into 8 mukims, which are:
- Air Puteh
- Bukit Raya
- Guar Kepayang
- Padang Kerbau
- Padang Peliang
- Padang Pusing
- Rambai
- Tobiar
Demographics
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 83,092 | — |
| 2000 | 89,764 | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 93,598 | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 98,922 | +5.7% |
| Source: [5] | ||
Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats
[edit]List of Pendang district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)
| Parliament | Seat Name | Member of Parliament | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| P11 | Pendang | Awang Hashim | Perikatan Nasional (PAS) |
List of Pendang district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri)
| Parliament | State | Seat Name | State Assemblyman | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P11 | N18 | Tokai | Mohd Hayati Othman | Perikatan Nasional (PAS) |
| P11 | N19 | Sungai Tiang | Abdul Razak Khamis | Perikatan Nasional (BERSATU) |
Tourist attractions
[edit]There is a famous Pendang Lake Recreational & Resort near the Pendang town centre. Other major attractions include Masjid Pendang, Stadium Mini Pendang and night market.
Transportation
[edit]
Car
[edit]The main road in the constituency is Jalan Raja Hasrul Raja Hassan, said to be the longest municipal named road in Kedah state – up to 85 kilometers. PLUS
North–South Expressway Northern Route exit 175 serves Pendang town.
Public transportation
[edit]KTM Kobah is the only railway station serving Pendang constituency, providing ETS/Intercity and Komuter services.
References
[edit]- ^ "Latar Belakang". 10 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ "JPS daerah pendang Kedah Darul Aman" [DID Pendang District Kedah Darul Aman] (PDF) (in Malay). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Info Daerah Pendang". Majlis Daerah Pendang. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "Key Findings of Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020" (pdf) (in Malay and English). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. ISBN 978-967-2000-85-3.
External links
[edit]Pendang District
View on GrokipediaGeography
Location and Topography
Pendang District occupies a position in the central-northern region of Kedah state, within northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west. It shares land boundaries with Kota Setar District to the north, Padang Terap District to the northeast, Sik District to the east, and Kuala Muda District to the south.[4] The district's coordinates center approximately at 5°59′N 100°28′E, placing it inland from the coastal lowlands but within the broader alluvial plains of Kedah.[6] The district encompasses a total land area of 627 km², characterized by a rural landscape dominated by flat terrain.[7] Elevations average around 7 meters above sea level, with minimal variation that supports widespread agricultural features such as paddy fields and scattered orchards.[6] This low-relief topography arises from sedimentary deposits in the region's riverine valleys, contributing to a landscape suited for water-dependent cultivation.[8] Principal natural features include Sungai Pendang, a significant river traversing the district and prone to seasonal flooding due to the flat gradient.[9] The river's path influences local drainage patterns, integrating with the surrounding alluvial soils that define the area's physiography.[10]Climate and Environment
Pendang District experiences a tropical monsoon climate typical of northern Peninsular Malaysia, with consistently high temperatures averaging 27.1°C annually and daily ranges between 24°C and 32°C. Precipitation totals approximately 2,140 mm per year, concentrated over about 252 rainy days, driven by the northeast monsoon from November to March and inter-monsoon periods. Humidity remains elevated year-round, often exceeding 80%, contributing to persistently warm and humid conditions.[11][12][13] The district's lowland topography and proximity to rivers exacerbate vulnerability to seasonal flooding, particularly in expansive paddy cultivation areas during intense monsoon rains. In October 2025, for example, torrential downpours submerged 624 hectares of fields in Pendang, destroying over 3,000 tonnes of near-harvest rice and causing losses estimated at RM4.6 million. These events, linked to the transition from inter-monsoon to northeast monsoon phases, disrupt agricultural cycles by delaying replanting and damaging soil structure through waterlogging.[14][15] Environmental pressures in Pendang include localized soil erosion in farmed lowlands, intensified by heavy rainfall and monoculture paddy practices that reduce vegetative cover. While district-specific erosion rates are not extensively documented, regional analyses in Kedah indicate heightened risks in agricultural zones from runoff during wet seasons, potentially degrading soil fertility over time. Flood susceptibility mapping for Kedah underscores Pendang's exposure due to flat terrain and high water table, with implications for long-term land productivity absent mitigation.[16][8]History
Pre-Colonial and Colonial Periods
The territory of present-day Pendang District was incorporated into the ancient Kedah kingdom, which flourished from at least the 5th century CE as a maritime entrepôt with Indianized cultural influences, including Hindu-Buddhist elements evidenced by archaeological sites across the region.[17] While major excavations like those in Bujang Valley reveal iron smelting, temple complexes, and trade networks supporting inland economies, Pendang's specific pre-colonial record points to agrarian settlements centered on wet-rice cultivation in fertile riverine areas, sustained by the kingdom's broader resource extraction and tribute systems.[18] The district's name derives from "pendiat," a Malay term for elephant traps—trenches dug to capture wild elephants from local jungles for labor and trade—indicating supplementary economic activities in forested hinterlands alongside agriculture.[4] Following Kedah's Islamization around the 15th century and the founding of the sultanate under Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Mu'adzam Shah II (r. 1710–1778), Pendang was subsumed into the feudal administrative structure as rural mukims under district headmen (penghulus), emphasizing paddy production to supply the court and ports.[19] This integration persisted amid intermittent Siamese overlordship, with the sultanate maintaining nominal autonomy through tribute payments until the decisive Siamese invasion of 1821, which razed Alor Setar and imposed direct control, exiling Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin and resettling Thai-speaking communities in inland districts like Pendang.[20] These migrants, concentrated in areas such as Padang Peliang and Padang Kerbau, influenced local land use and labor patterns during the 21-year occupation ending in 1843.[21] Restored under Siamese vassalage from 1843 to 1909, Kedah—including Pendang—experienced revenue farming and corvée labor demands that strained peasant agriculture, fostering localized resistance amid unchanged traditional governance.[22] The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 shifted suzerainty to Britain, installing a British advisor in Alor Setar while preserving the sultan's authority; however, in peripheral districts like Pendang, modern administrative reforms, such as formalized land tenure and tax collection, were delayed until the 1910s and 1920s, preserving much of the pre-colonial agrarian order amid emerging cash-crop pressures.[23]Post-Independence Era
The Pendang District was gazetted on 1 February 1975 amid Kedah's administrative reorganization, which sought to decentralize governance and tailor development to local agricultural needs in the post-independence era. This separation from neighboring areas like Kota Setar facilitated targeted policy implementation, aligning with federal pushes for efficient rural administration under Malaysia's evolving national framework.[24] Rural development accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s through the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA), which oversaw irrigation enhancements in Pendang as part of the broader Muda Irrigation Scheme. Building on Phase II expansions initiated in 1979, these efforts emphasized upgraded water conveyance and drainage systems to mitigate flood risks and enable reliable cropping cycles, driven by national priorities for agricultural self-sufficiency.[25][26] In contemporary planning, Pendang features within Kedah's Greater Kedah 2050 blueprint, a 2024 roadmap targeting holistic state advancement by 2050 via infrastructure upgrades, talent development, and balanced economic diversification. This integration reflects causal linkages between sustained irrigation legacies and forward-looking policies to adapt rural districts to modern challenges.[27]Government and Administration
Local Governance
The Pendang District is administered by the Majlis Daerah Pendang, a district-level local authority responsible for managing urban and rural services within its jurisdiction. Headquartered at Wisma MDP in Bandar Pendang, the council handles key functions such as land use planning, enforcement of local bylaws, sanitation, waste management, and maintenance of basic infrastructure including roads and public amenities.[5][28] The district is subdivided into eight mukims—Air Putih, Bukit Raya, Guar Kepayang, Padang Kerbau, Padang Pusing, Pendang, Tobiar, and Rambai—which serve as administrative units for local governance and revenue collection.[29] These divisions facilitate targeted implementation of council policies on development and services. Revenue for the Majlis Daerah Pendang primarily comes from property assessment taxes, business licenses, and fees, supplemented by federal and state grants, enabling funding for operational and developmental activities.[30] As a rural district council, its financial resources are more limited compared to urban municipal authorities, focusing expenditures on essential local maintenance and community needs.[31]
