“The current drop in water levels, to the point where the lake or pond bed is becoming visible, is due to prolonged hot weather and low rainfall,” he said, according to Bernama.

“The lake and ponds rely on frequent rainfall as their main water source, and I hope the current hot spell does not last much longer,” he said.

Images of several parts of the 133-year-old Taiping Lake Gardens drying up due to a lack of rainfall over the past two weeks have gone viral on social media.

Khairul Amir said the Taiping Lake Gardens, a former tin mining site, holds several water bodies, including the Allamanda Pond and Seven Sisters Pond.

“All of these ponds also function as detention ponds, temporarily holding water to allow drainage and time to channel surface water runoff to the sea, thus helping to prevent flash floods in Taiping.

“About 15% of the water flowing into the lake or ponds comes from Sungai Buloh, with the remaining 85% coming from rainwater,” he said.

Khairul Amir said as the Taiping Lake Gardens is a recreational park, “we will let it recover naturally according to the weather conditions”.