Thirty buffalo have died due to water shortages in the north eastern municipality of Lautem.
National Member of Parliament, MP Osorio Florindo said buffaloes were very important for local communities and urged the government to look into the situation.
“Almost 30 buffaloes are dead caused by water shortage and those left are in bad conditions,” Florindo said at the National Parliament, in Dili.
He said the government needed to devise a plan of action to address the situation.
Corn crops planted by local communities were drying up and access to clean water was extremely limited.
In response, Minister of Agriculture and Fishery (MAF) Eng. Estanislau da Silva said the government planned to deliver water and asked communities to keep their buffaloes together at a site accessible by car.
