Did You Know That One of Malaysia's Natural Lakes Has Completely Dried Up?

Malaysia has three natural lakes – Tasik Bera, Tasik Chini and Tasik Mentiga – and one of them has pretty much dried up. Tasik Mentiga located in Pahang is now considered extinct due to developments in the area surrounding the lake. To prevent Tasik Chini, Malaysia’s second largest freshwater lake, from suffering a similar fate, local environmental activists have begun conservation efforts, starting with the MyChini 1.0 programme.

According to programme director Nurizzah Ismail, the lake’s ecosystem and natural environment is being threatened due to development in the surrounding area. Recognising this escalating issue, MyChini will be organising several programmes to increase awareness, especially among the younger generation. Many NGOs have also offered their support, including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Tasik Chini Research Centre, which has already started conducting research in the area.

"We hope the awareness programmes will benefit the future generation, who may not have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Tasik Chini if conservation efforts are not carried out earnestly from now," said Nurizzah.

Tasik Chini is situated in Pekan, Pahang. The natural lake is made up of a series of 12 lakes, and spans over 200 hectares of open water and more than 700 hectares of swamp forest. It is also one of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status sites in Malaysia. The lake is so important to the Orang Asli community that the Jakun tribe actually dubbed it as ‘sea’.

As more efforts under the MyChini 1.0 programme come to fruition, we hope that more members of the public will continue to do our part and care for the environment. At the end of the day, we’ve only got one Earth to live in.