– Bernama
KUANTAN: Extreme heat and dry conditions since April have led to the formation of large sand dunes in Sungai Tembeling, Jerantut, significantly affecting the residents of Kampung Gusai.
The remote village, located on the banks of the river within Taman Negara, is only accessible via a logging road and water transport. The village lies after Kampung Mat Daling, Kampung Bantai, Kampung Sungai Kuching, Kampung Kuala Sat and Kampung Pagi.
According to Kampung Gusai village head, Ahmad Abu Bakar, 66, only three of the village's over 200 residents have four-wheel-drive vehicles, with the rest relying on small boats and rafts for transportation, including carrying motorcycles.
"The journey to our village is quite lengthy. It takes about five hours from Kuantan to Kampung Pagi in the Jerantut district. From there, you need to travel another hour and a half in a 4WD to reach Kampung Mat Daling.
"For those without a 4WD, the journey continues at Kampung Bantai, where a jetty on Sungai Tembeling allows for travel by traditional boat or canoe down the river to Sungai Sepia, taking an additional hour to reach Kampung Gusai," he told Bernama.
– Bernama
However, the shrinking water levels in Sungai Tembeling, which have formed sandbars measuring about 100m wide and 200m long, are disrupting daily life in Kampung Gusai, where residents depend on the river for fishing and transportation.
Ahmad noted that the high cost of daily essentials and building materials, sometimes up to three times the market price, is a major concern for villagers and chalet operators.
"The rising expenses are attributed to the difficulties of navigating the shallow Sungai Sepia, which is exacerbated by low tides and sandbars," he said, adding that the risk of engine damage when pulling boats through the river also contributes to the high costs.
Despite these challenges, Ahmad said the situation has inadvertently benefited local homestay and chalet operators, as many tourists are drawn to explore the sandbars.
"It's lively here. When the river is shallow, many families come to bathe, and we also engage in volleyball on the sand dunes and night walks on the sand plains," he said.
However, to improve accommodation, some chalet operators have faced high costs for building materials due to the difficulty of transporting them and reliance on middlemen.
Aside from tourism, Kampung Gusai's main economic activity, banana farming, is also struggling, according to villager Wan Hassan Wan Bakar.
Wan Hassan, 63, explained that most banana farmers are elderly who grow pisang tanduk and jelai berangan for sale in Kampung Bantai, transporting around 200kg of bananas by boat due to the high cost of a 4WD vehicle.
"The receding water makes it hard to navigate and often leaves us stranded. Pulling the boat through the shallow, winding river requires significant effort, especially at our age, but it's necessary for our livelihood," he said.
– Bernama
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the maximum daily temperature in the Jerantut district has reached 33°C, with only eight days of rain recorded from July 1 to 31.
Previously, the region known for its gulai asam rong had experienced hot weather alerts, along with other areas in Pahang, such as Raub, Bentong and Temerloh, as well as Pasir Mas and Kuala Krai in Kelantan.
MetMalaysia has indicated that the low rainfall is expected to persist until the monsoon transition phase, resulting in hotter and drier conditions until mid-September.
MetMalaysia's deputy director-general (operations) Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, told Bernama that the sandbars forming in Sungai Tembeling in Kampung Gusai are due to the El Nino phenomenon, which has been affecting rainfall patterns since mid-2023.
"The low rainfall is typical during the Southwest Monsoon season, impacting various areas including Perak, Kedah, Pahang, Kelantan and Sabah. We expect increased rainfall by mid-September," he added. – Bernama
