KUANTAN: The prolonged hot weather has resulted in the water level of Sungai Tembeling in Jerantut to drop significantly. Certain sections of the river have dried up completely.
The famous floating restaurants or raft houses along the river in Kuala Tahan are now stranded in the shallow riverbed.
Boat services are also affected, with journeys up and down the river taking a lot longer to complete as boatmen have to navigate slowly.
Videos and images of the dried sections of the river have gone viral on social media, with many claiming that it was nothing new to the villagers as it occurred during the hot spell every year.
Tour guide Zamri Mat Amin said the water level in Sungai Tembeling usually fell during the hot season and this would last up to a few weeks.
“Usually certain parts of Kuala Tahan will be flooded during the monsoon season and last year there were no floods. “However, the blistering sun and extreme hot weather this time was a little different compared to previously... it is the worst. I have never seen the river in such a situation before.
“People can cross certain sections of the river on foot as the water level is extremely low,” he said.
Zamri said the extreme heat had also led to a decline in the number of visitors to Kuala Tahan and Taman Negara.
Boat operator Jamil Ahmad said most parts of the river used to be more than 3m deep, but now, some parts were only ankle-deep and many sandbanks could be seen.
The 40-year-old said boatmen were forced to frequently get off their boats and pull them through the shallow water.
“The heat wave makes our job difficult and we pity passengers who have to sit for long hours in our boats. The river water drying up rapidly is a major concern. We might be forced to stop our boat services,” he said.
Tahan assemblyman Mohd Zakhwan Ahmad Badarrdin said the hot weather which had lasted for more than two weeks had resulted in the water level dropping.
“I noticed that this year the river water is drying up fast... this did not happen in the past. Most sections of the river have dried up, exposing sandbars in the river,” he said, adding however that there were no reports of water disruption in nearby areas.
Certain sections of Sungai Tembeling at Kampung Bukit Mat Daling, Kampung Kuala Sat, Kampung Bantal and Kampung Gusai have become shallow and dry.
However, since there is a new road connecting Kampung Bantal and Ulu Tembeling, the residents can choose to travel on four-wheel-drive vehicles.
During the floods in 2015, Taman Negara was closed temporarily after the water level of Sungai Tembeling rose to a record level of 75m.