Sungai Mati, Johor

Early August 2008, with invitation from a group of local nature enthusiasts, we visited an ox bow lake in Johor - the most southern state in Peninsular Malaysia. Ox bow lake, or in short OBL, is also consider a type of wetlands in Malaysia.

“OBL is a crescent-shaped lake lying alongside a winding river. It is created over a long period of time as erosion and deposits of soil changes the course of the river.”

A mature river, on the other hand, creates its own flood plain by slowly eating away at its banks, and depositing material it has carried from further up stream. When a river meanders across a flood plain, it creates larger and larger loops. If a sudden flood arrives it finds the weaknesses in the banks, and apart from spilling over into the surrounding land, it cuts new channels, one of which may become the new course of the river, leaving behind the old river bed as an “ox-bow” lake. That is, a detached piece of water that used to be part of the river.

 

 

We explore along the lakeside while discovering the natural elements of this hidden jewel of a small town near Muar, Johor. Day and night, we drove, walked, scanned and even took a boat ride on the main river. It turns out that the 2 days exploration is not sufficient for us to get to know more about this place.