A group of journalists visiting the district last year were told that there were 70 crocodiles per-kilometre stretch of the river compared with just seven in the Amazon in South America.
But Batang Lupar is not just about crocodiles.
According to a Bernama reporter, the group made 18 stops to see the constituency’s rich cultural and natural heritage, and its economic and infrastructure development.
Despite development and modernisation, the intangible cultural and natural heritage remains at the heart of the people of Batang Lupar, he wrote.
Along with the upcoming multi-billion ringgit Pan-Borneo Highway which is also known as the Trans Borneo Highway, a RM1 billion bridge spanning Batang Lupar will be built to improve connectivity in the state and up to Sabah.
The 2,083km highway is expected to boost economic and infrastructure development in the constituency.
Batang Lupar is also home to the Maludam National Park, that encompasses the largest single patch of peat swamp forest remaining in Sarawak.
It also has one of the five viable populations of proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) in Sarawak. Adventure lovers can cruise along the Batang Lupar River, cutting across the park and observe the monkeys at play or at work.
Politically, the Batang Lupar parliamentary constituency is as big as the state of Negri Sembilan. It has a total of 15 districts.
It is interesting to note that Batang Lupar was once a Dayak-majority seat with the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) strongman Edwin Tangkun holding the seat from 1970 to 1986. He even won the seat as an independent in 1982.
Over the years, redelineation exercises somehow turned it into a Malay-majority seat with PBB claiming the right to contest the seat for BN since 1990.
Former deputy chief minister Daniel Tajem was the Batang Lupar MP for a term from 1986 to 1990.
Batang Lupar is one seat which was “stolen” by PBB from its BN partner.
Following the internal crisis in SNAP in the early 1980s, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was formed.
It was during this period that the then powerful Sarawak Chief Minister and PBB president Abdul Taib Mahmud could get what he wanted and Batang Lupar fell into PBB’s hands without a whimper from the other partners.
From 1990 to 2004, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar held the seat for PBB. Since 2004, PBB’s Rohani Abdul Karim has been Batang Lupar MP.
In 2013, Rohani scored a handsome majority of 10,964 votes over PKR’s Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh.
After GE13, Rohani was appointed as the federal women, family and community development minister.
Although Wan Junaidi and Rohani had been returned unopposed in Batang Lupar in previous elections, don’t expect Pakatan Harapan to give BN/PBB a free ride in GE14.
PKR is not expected to win this seat but BN/PBB can expect a tough fight this time around.
Batang Lupar has 27,360 voters.
Debaran lawat Sg Batang Lupar yang dihuni 70 buaya setiap km