PEKAN, Jan 30 — The floods may be a calamity for many but for some Pekan residents, especially those living in Kampung Temai, Kampung Acheh and Kampung Gachong, the water which overflowed from Sungai Pahang into their villages was a gift from God.

The water from the river had recently brought along various freshwater fish such as ‘sepat’, ‘puyu’, ‘keli’, ‘baung’, ‘patin’, ‘lampam’ and ‘seluang’ which were trapped in the fishing nets which the villagers had hung along the flooded road shoulders.

The fishes caught came in different sizes from the length and width of two fingers to arm-length.

A check by Bernama found a carnival-like atmosphere along the Jalan Pekan-Paloh Hinai stretch as villagers cast their nets including in the oil palm estates which had turned into a ‘sea’.

A lorry attendant Mohd Lukman Hakim Mohd Lazim, 23, when met said he spent most his time fishing in the area as there was less work for him during the floods.

Salim Sulaiman, 45, who lives in Padang Rumbia here said he could catch between five to six kilogrammes of fish a day after casting his net two or three times a day.

"The flood in Pekan is quite different ... from the right side of the road we get freshwater fish from Sungai Pahang while from the left side we get fish from the swamps,” he said.

Not to miss out on all the fun casting out fishing nets along Jalan Pekan-Paloh Hinai was Akmal Hakim Nordin, 5, and his brother-in-law who was home for the Chinese New Year vacation. — Bernama