By Aida Aziz
TAIPING: The Taiping Lake Garden has started to fill with water following frequent rainfall in the afternoons and evenings recently.
Many are relieved by this development, especially visitors who often enjoy the beauty of the rain trees, scientifically known as Samanea saman, which are iconic to this Heritage Town, while they engage in recreational activities here.
Known as the rain town, many eyes have been on Taiping after the lake’s water level went viral for drying up.
The intense heat wave that hit the country earlier had caused the water level of the 133-year-old lake to recede and become shallow down to the bottom.
In fact, this phenomenon also provided an opportunity for many to take photographs and capture the unique scene.
A visit to the location on Friday found that the water level had returned to normal.
One of the visitors, who is also a local resident, Nurul Azwa Ahmad Shafie, 40, confirmed this.
She said that the situation previously was something rarely seen, and fortunately, the rain has returned to normal in Taiping, particularly in this area.
“I often come here for recreation and jogging. This area is well-known for its greenery, including the lake.
“I’ve never seen the lake dry up as it went viral before, where you could see the bottom and even walk in the middle of it.
“I was worried about the surrounding trees due to the intense heat, but luckily, it has been raining continuously lately.
“Taiping is indeed known for the beauty of Lake Garden and its centuries-old trees. When the lake dries up, it’s quite sad and less attractive,” said Nurul, who lives in Pokok Assam.
Meanwhile, a general worker of the Taiping Municipal Council (MPT), Shahrul Nizam Sah Hidan, when met, said the water level began to return to normal starting from last Monday.
He mentioned that the continuous rain since early August has been the reason for the lake starting to fill up with water.
“In my opinion, the condition of the lake was quite bad before, dried up due to the extreme heat.
“However, there were still many visitors, especially from Singapore, who came in busloads to capture photos of the dry lake.
“Not to mention the locals who flocked here on weekends to witness the phenomenon. But now, the water level is recovering,” he said.
