Sunday, April 24, 2016

LINGGIU RESERVOIR

Receding water levels at Linggiu Reservoir have been hitting the headlines


To see how bad the situation really is, we headed towards Bandar Tenggara. The main entrance of the reservoir is located 12 km east of the town


The gate is guarded by military personnel and needless to say, we were refused entry into the premises. However, with the help of GPS and Google Map, we tried to explore other possible accesses into the reservoir. This led us to drive through plantations and over unmarked tracks. It wasn't long before we realised that our choice of vehicle could have been better!


Nonetheless, we were undeterred and even went on foot when the track leading to the reservoir was not passable for my car. 


After trekking (on foot) over a series of undulations, the view of the reservoir was in sight. We can't help feeling like small kids arriving at a theme park. Welcome to the southern tip of the reservoir!



While we were feeling excited about our discovery, the overall "dryness" of the area was equally shocking.  
Note the bank at the background of this photo


From the bank, we could walk on the dried reservoir bed for almost 1km before reaching the current main water body. 


In terms of height, the water level must have dropped equivalent to 5 storeys or more. 


Here's an abandoned boat that shows water was probably aplenty not so long ago. 


And the cracked earth is a cruel reminder that water is precious, a reminder that we need to conserve water.