DECLINING WATER LEVEL AT SUNGAI MANAL ALLOWS VILLAGERS TO COLLECT SNAILS, CLAMS

For the past few weeks, the water level at Sungai Manal here has declined due to the dry weather which is a blessing in disguise for the people in Kampung Manal as it allows them to look for siput sedut (mangrove snails) and etak (freshwater clams).

A villager, Rohimah Yusof, 75, said the water level was only ankle-deep allowing her to collect mangrove snails and clams which she then cooks for her family.

“The river which is located about 100 metres from the house is like a temporary market for me now…if I want to find snails, clams or small fish I don’t have to work so hard because the river is shallow and it’s easy to get them,” she told Bernama today.

Rohimah said she could collect between three and five kilogrammes of snails and clams every day.

For Suhaimi Abdullah, 45, besides using the snails collected from the river to make masak lemak siput sedut (snails in spicy coconut milk gravy), the snails also serve as supplementary feed for the ducks he is rearing, which helps him to save feed costs throughout the dry season.

“Every day I manage to find five to 10 kilogrammes of snails as food for the 100 egg-laying ducks I am rearing in my backyard,” he said.

A fellow villager Hafizan Seman, 35, said they used nets as well as other equipment such as standing and table fan covers as well as food covers to collect snails and clams from the river.

“Most of the villagers will look for snails and clams in this river in the evening because it is less hot than in the afternoon,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency