SIK: Global warming, climate change, El Nino, La Nina and rising greenhouse gas emissions. None of these words are in the daily vocabulary of Mohd Yusof Syafaie's life.
For the past couple of months, the 67-year-old from Belantik said he noticed that the water level in Tasik Gubir, located in Muda Dam, was dipping from its normal level but, to him, nothing was extraordinary.
"Between May and June, it is common for the lake water level to dip as the Muda Dam's water reserve is released to irrigate padi cultivation ," Yusof said, as he checked a blue container filled with freshwater fishes stacked on the rear seat of his motorcycle.
He added that despite the situation, his daily haul has not been much affected.
"It is just that when the water level drops, we don't travel too far in the boat to set up the fishing nets," said Yusof who is earning about RM80 daily by selling his catch to a middleman at his village, located some six kilometres from here.
However, Yusof, who has been a fisherman in Tasik Gubir for the past three decades, said he noticed something was odd.
"Well, the lake's water level has usually already returned to its normal level by early July, but not this year.
"Usually, we would have experienced frequent rainfall by early July, but the rain is not coming yet," he said.
A fellow fisherman, Mohd Azni Tajudin, 41, admitted that there is a silver lining for them brought by the prolonged dry spell due to El Nino phenomenon.
"It is a bit easier to land the fish because of the shallow water level," said Azni.
He added that the water level on Tasik Gubir has plunged by some 200 metres in the past two months.
Meanwhile, checks at Pedu Dam also showed that the lake's water level has significantly dropped from its normal level.
Muhd Zairil Adha Jamaludin, 19, said the houseboat restaurant where he is working has been relocated seven times following dipping water levels since early this year.
"Before 2024, the houseboat used to sit on almost the same level as the tarred road up there. You can't see the cliffs here because they are covered by the lake water," he said as he stood on a staircase leading to the houseboat.
Yesterday, the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) which manages Muda Dam, Pedu Dam and Ahning Dam here confirmed that water reserves in all water catchments were affected by the prolonged dry spell.
Mada said the water reserve in Muda Dam has fallen below the 10 per cent mark yesterday, with the reading recorded at 9.96 per cent, a consistent dive over the past several days.
However, it advised the public not to panic as it is working with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) and Kedah Water Resources Board to carry out cloud seeding operations in the water catchment area.