River and Life (Batang Mukah)

As part of my mission to "An Honor to Serve", I'm given an honor to accompany a group of officers from Sarawak Ministry of Tourism to Tasik Kenyana. A journey take about one hour along Batang Mukah is a second trip for me. Batang Mukah is the earliest settlement for Melanau tribe apart from other places like Dalat, Matu, Daro, Balingian, and Belawai. They dominate the downstreamof the river, and Dayak Iban longhouses dominate the upperstream. Other towns along the river is Penakub and Selangau which is situated right at the Pan Borneo so-called highway junction to Mukah. Other articles related to Batang Mukah can be read HERE (Beauties of Mukah River), also visit HERE, HERE, HERE (Tasik Kenyana).

View on the estuary of Batang Mukah. On the left is Mukah Wet Market and on the right is Taman Tanjung Pedada, where the "Pedada" (local name given to a type of swamp tree) forest are preserved.

Mukah Wet Market: Mukah popular for its fresh seafood. Some says that the price is much more expensive compare to Sibu or Kuching. Either it is worth to buy is on the judgement of the customers. "Umai" is one of the "hot" sale here..

Mukah Wet Market for vegetables, where plenty of choices of jungle products can be found here. "Siet" is the most popular item to buy...

Batang Mukah: The earliest mode of transportation on its younger age. The settlements along the riverbank are the best evidence that Batang Mukah is the course for the birth of Mukah Town. Nowadays, Mukah is the fastest developed town in Sarawak. In his heyday, Batang Mukah is an unsung hero for the only mode of transportation and other needs for the peoples live along the river.

Pedada dominate the first 15 minutes by speed boat than follow by commercial crops like rumbia, palm oil plantations and rubber trees...

A local fisherman still use his traditional way of fishing... some of them still very much rely on river to transport mulung(sago logs) as it is much cheaper than through land transport..

The famous landmark of Mukah... Mukah Bridge

A tug boat... the tug everything: logs, coal, sand, etc...

Coal mining is one of the most "hot" business in Mukah for recent years. Apart supplying for his own, Mukah Coal Plant, Mukah is the coal supplier for Kuching Sejingkat Coal Plant. With the development of few major hydro dam in the centre part of Sarawak as part of renewal energy, shall government considered to stop the operation of coal mine? Interesting question to know..

Batang Mukah is not only for human being, it is shared together by thousand of floras and faunas. Egrets are one of the seasonal visitor to this river...

Swiftlet is another growing industries in Mukah for recent years. There are maybe at least 50 swiftlets on the riverbank.

One of a rural school in Mukah. Nowadays, they nomore considered as rural school as they are already connected by roads...

Ladies or men, adult and their childrens are historically train to have a strong relationship with the river....

The two scenarios: Above photo showing a lady wash her clothes on the riverbank. A normal daily schedule I believe have been there since their first settlement here for centuries. A photo below showing rubbishes and waste from logging, sago & plantation industries which totally damaging the natural beauties of Batang Mukah.

Only in Mukah: A modern factory processing the rumbia (sago log).. As river is the cheapest way of transportation, the factory mostly built along the riverbank. The wastage and river pollution? I might not the right person to comment!

Mukah Old Town. Like other cities in this world, Mukah town is slowly developed into a bigger town, and the leaders' vision to make Mukah as a Smart City for central region is in the making. As a smart city, the leaders also shall think of maintaining Batang Mukah as close to its natural beauties. This will be the best appreaciation to him, as the best aliby on observing the transformation of Mukah from a fisherman village to the Smart City.