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Kelantan's rivers turning bright green, coupled with receding water levels, is not a sign of a healthy environment. It is a symptom of prolonged dry weather and severe ecosystem stress
Speaking to Bernama, Associate Prof Dr Mohamad Faiz Mohd Amin, head of the Climate, Water, and Environment Resilience Research Group at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), said that these visual changes are a direct consequence of a lack of rainfall that has gripped the state for weeks.
During the typical monsoon season, Sungai Kelantan carries a heavy load of suspended sediment from land erosion, giving the river its characteristic murky, chocolate-brown appearance.
However, the current dry spell has slowed the river's flow and drastically reduced the rate of erosion. This has led to a significant decrease in the quantity of suspended solids entering the waterway — a shift that many residents have misinterpreted as a sign of a cleaner river system.
Mohamad Faiz clarified that as the water becomes clearer, sunlight can penetrate deeper into the riverbed
This illuminates the natural colours of the aquatic system and highlights the presence of phytoplankton, or algae. While some might view the "clearer" water as a positive development, it is merely a physical alteration.
In flowing systems like Sungai Kelantan, large-scale algal blooms are rare. The green hue is more likely due to the lack of sediment rather than a sudden improvement in water quality.
The situation is particularly dire at Sungai Golok, where water levels have plummeted to 3.26m — far below the normal threshold of 5m. This sharp decline reduces the river's capacity to dilute pollutants; as the water volume shrinks, nutrients from agricultural runoff and domestic waste become dangerously concentrated.
Simultaneously, rising water temperatures further stress aquatic life, potentially leading to a collapse in local biodiversity. This environmental pressure eventually threatens the daily raw water and drinking supplies of thousands of residents.
To address these vulnerabilities, Mohamad Faiz argued that Malaysia's water resource management must evolve into a more adaptive, data-driven system.
Relying on traditional seasonal expectations is no longer viable in an era where 2026 is projected to be one of the hottest years on record. Without a strategic shift towards climate-responsive infrastructure, Kelantan's rich rivers could soon become unable to support the life they once sustained.
