SUNGAI PETANI: More than 80 fishermen from Pengkalan Sepit Biru, Permatang Berangan, were affected by the sudden receding water levels of Sungai Muda since yesterday.
The fishermen claimed that since the water level had receded to about waist level, they were unable to venture into the river.
Pengkalan Sepit Biru Fishermen's Association chairman Mohd Nazri Yaacob said that the river's water level in the area had risen slowly since this morning after water was released from the Beris Dam reservoir.
He said that most fishermen in the area were waiting for the river to fill up before they could resume their fishing activities as usual.
"Fishermen could not venture out since the water level receded dramatically here, they're just waiting until they can go out to fish again once the water from Beris Dam fills up the river," he said when met at Kampung Permatang Berangan here today.
Nazri, who also runs a boat rental service, said that his business had to be put on hold until the river's water level returned to normal.
"I have never seen the water level recede this much before. This river has a depth of almost 10m. It's shocking.
"I am worried about the presence of stray crocodiles in the muddy waters as the river is vast and is connected to the sea," he added.
Commenting further, he said that due to the dramatically low water levels, lots of fishes have appeared and we're stuck in the shallow waters in the river, providing some fishermen with an unexpected source of income.
Nazri said he took a net to catch the fish that appeared on the shallow waters and sold them off to villagers who came to buy them.
"At first, I sent a video of the shallow waters here on WhatsApp to a group of friends. I wanted to inform them about the low water levels and abundance of fish on the shallow waters.
"But I didn't expect the video to go viral and spread across social media platforms like Facebook and Tik Tok. The area turned into a place for festive gathering with many people present until night fall," he added.
Meanwhile, Shuib Ishak, a 74-year-old resident of Kampung Permatang Berangan said he had never seen Sungai Muda in such condition.
"Usually, fishermen come here to catch fish and shrimp, but last night, they just sat on the dock and didn't dare to go down to the river.
"I also don't want to risk getting my feet stuck in the mud, I'm afraid there may be crocodiles in this area," he added.
#kw: Sungai Muda, water levels, receded, fishermen, affected.