PASIR PUTEH, The scorching weather and drought which set in since February has also taken its toll on several recreational forested areas in Kelantan, including the popular Jeram Pasu and Jeram Linang waterfalls located in Pasir Puteh.
A Bernama check at the two touristy sites found that the waterfalls that used to be the rage of crowds has astonishingly dried up and all that is visible since are sandbars and murky puddles in some parts.
Mukim Telipot village head, Muhd Zali Mat Daud, 57, said the dire situation happened more than a month ago, causing the area to be shunned by the public who once flocked to the ‘oasis’ of clear mountain spring water.
‘Previously, many villagers took the opportunity for a dip in Jeram Pasu and Jeram Linang because several areas around this subdistrict experienced water supply disruptions.
‘However, the water in the recreation centre has been decreasing since the end of last month and the situation got drier at the beginning of this month,’ he told Bernama recently.
He sa
id hawkers in the area were also forced to close their stalls because the recreational area was quiet and emptied of any visitors.
According to Muhd Zali, the area has never been bone-dry like this before even in the dry season.
‘Usually it doesn’t reach this stage. This year, the hot weather is quite unusual and for such a long period which has caused the water to dry up until sandbanks have emerged and this definitely affected the tourism sector in this area,’ he said.
Meanwhile, a visitor from Terengganu, Rosnizah Zakaria, 47, said she and her friends had to cancel plans to soak up the panoramic beauty at the recreational location after discovering that the waterfall has trickled to a stop.
Rosnizah, who was on her way from Kota Bharu, said she had stopped at several interesting locations in the state but did not expect that the lush waterfall catchment area that she has visited before has transformed into a dry wadi in the desert.
‘We hope that the hot weather experienced will soon pass and this tour
ist location will be lively again and visited by many after the situation returns to normal,’ she said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
