A small cluster of pink lotus floats in the murky water of Tasik Chini, passing the sampan skippered by Yom, a longtime resident of the country's second-largest natural freshwater lake.

Although this was a far cry from Tasik Chini's once-famous lotus bloom, it was enough to draw a smile from boat skipper Yom, a native of the Jakun tribe.

"Now there are some lotuses here and there, but I am happy. The lotuses are back which means the lake is recovering," Yom told Malaysiakini.

Locals said the lake water was once so pristine that it was drinkable and was important subsistence because...