SIK: Water levels in the three dams managed by the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) have continued to decrease due to the prolonged dry spell over the past few months.
According to records on the Mada website today, the water level at the Muda Dam is now only at 7.52 per cent capacity.
This is followed by the Pedu Dam (37.54 per cent), and Ahning Dam ( 81.16 per cent), with the average for all three dams standing at 42.41 per cent.
Resident Arman Che Ya, 43, said as the situation at Pedu Dam is worsening, an old submerged cemetery in Kampung Mong Gajah is now exposed on the dried-up lake bed.
He said the situation is similar to the El Nino phenomenon in 2020, when relatives could visit the old graves.
"The tombstones at this cemetery became more visible last Friday, whereas previously only the cemetery fence was visible. However, the ground in this area is still soft and there are concerns about sinkholes.
"I visited the area yesterday with friends using a Proton Kembara. Since the village reappeared about a month ago, we have been visiting frequently. I expect relatives will soon be able to visit the graves of their ancestors if the dam's water level continues to drop," he said.
Fisherman Awang Salleh, 59, said several graves at the Gubir Lake in Muda Dam appeared much earlier than those at the Pedu Dam due to a rapid decrease of water levels.
He said the cemeteries which have emerged are in Kampung Kempas, Kampung Kuala Tesong, Kampung Lubuk Pari and Kampung Banggol Pauh.
"These are old villages abandoned after the government constructed the dam in the 1960s. As fishermen, we are concerned that Muda Dam might dry up completely, making it difficult to land fish. However, there was heavy rain for two hours the day before yesterday, and it rained again today, though not as heavily.
"We hope for more rain soon so there can be a slight increase in the water level. The government might need to conduct cloud seeding operations again if the hot weather continues," said Awang, who has been a fisherman for over 20 years.
Cloud seeding operations began on July 29 for three days at the Bukit Merah Dam in Perak, and Muda Dam for agricultural, domestic, and industrial water use.
In a statement, Mada reported that cloud seeding operations resulted in two millimeters of rain in the Muda Dam water catchment area on July 30.
Mada had said that the assessment showed an increase in the inflow volume to the Muda Dam by 1,037 acre-feet compared to the average daily inflow last month, which was 416 acre-feet before the cloud seeding operations.