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GUA MUSANG – Sg Nenggiri, which is the lifeline for farming, fishing and transport for riverine villagers here, is also drying up under the hot weather as the water level is receding with mud, sandbanks and rocks starting to emerge.
Motorboat driver Muhamad Fakhry Sharif, 27, said the river has been drying up since early last week.
He said the situation requires them to be extra careful, as the receding watercourse poses a risk to navigation in their boating jobs.
“We detected that Sg Nenggiri has receded by more than 2m since the beginning of this week.
“We are aware of the safety risks in steering the boat at low tide, but we have to continue working for passengers and also to catch fish.
“We hope this hot weather will not last long so we can continue our activities along the river as usual.
“Besides rubber-tapping and agriculture, many villagers turn to fishing to supplement their daily needs,” he said in Kg Bertam Baru here.
An outboard engine boat pilot, Shaari Mustapa, 55, said that some boatmen have stopped working in the meantime because they worry about the risks they face in navigation.
According to Shaari, who has over 40 years of experience operating boats, only skilled boatmen continue to earn a living by ferrying passengers or searching for river produce.
“With the experience I have, I already know the ins and outs of the Sg Nenggiri current.
“Most newcomers or outsiders will stop boating on this river when the water recedes because of the many challenges in the river topography, with many sandbars, wooden stumps and large rocks emerging,” he said.
Shaari added that boat transport is the preferred choice for passengers to travel to Kg Lulut or Kuala Sungai, which only takes about 15 minutes compared to over two hours via the land route.
He said the outboard engine boat fares range between RM80 and RM15 per a day (charter). – Bernama, May 11, 2023