TAIPING: The hot weather, caused by the ongoing Southwest Monsoon, has not only restricted daily activities but has also impacted one of the district's must-visit spots, Taiping Lake Gardens.
Checks by the New Straits Times revealed that part of the lake is drying up, leading to slight changes in the landscape.
Despite these conditions, people continue to jog and engage in other activities.
A retired Royal Malaysian Air Force officer, Yahaya Aris Mohd Dali, 67, said this was his first time seeing the lake dry up since there has been no rain over the past three weeks.
"I have lived in Taiping for almost 26 years, and this is my first time experiencing such hot weather here.
"Usually, it always rains, whether in the morning or evening. But it hasn't rained for almost a month.
" I usually jog in the morning or evening, but during this hot weather, I still jog, though only for a short period," he said when met today.
He added that the Taiping Municipal Council should take the opportunity to deepen the lake, as it looks dried up right now.
"If we dig deeper, there may be a source of water down there.
"The landscape of this lake looks different as the lush green grass is turning brown," said Yahaya from Taman Simpang.
Isma Yanti Alang from Taman Berkat said this was her second time experiencing hot weather and no rain in Taiping.
"I have been living in Taiping for 14 years, and this is the second time scorching hot weather has hit the district.
"And this time it feels a bit longer. The last time it happened, it also affected Taiping Lake Gardens, where part of it dried up.
"Such weather definitely changes the landscape of the area. We can see withered lotus in the lake. I hope it will rain soon," said the mother of eight when met here.
Taiping also receives some limelight for being the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia.
The average annual rainfall is about 4,000mm in Taiping while the peninsula's average is between 2,000mm and 2,500mm.
Meanwhile, Sahabat Alam Malaysia field researcher Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman, when contacted, said the drying lake would not jeopardise the ecosystem there.
"This is because the water from the lake is not used for maintaining the lake or for domestic purposes.
"It's just that when the lake dries up, it will affect the beauty of Taiping Lake Gardens," he said.
Taiping Municipal Council President Khairul Amir Mohamad Zubir said Taiping Lake Gardens was once a tin mining area, surrounded with several ponds such as Allamanda Pond and Seven Sisters Pond.
"All of these ponds also function as detention ponds, holding water for several hours to allow drainage and rivers to channel surface runoff to the ocean, helping to prevent flash floods in Taiping.
"About 15 per cent of the water flowing into the lake or ponds comes from Sungai Buloh, with the remaining 85 per cent coming from rainwater.
"Since Taiping Lake Gardens is a recreational park, we will let it recover naturally according to weather conditions," he said.