This short 1953 government film shows the work of the Tanjong Karang Irrigation Scheme, a reclamation project in Selangor, Malaya (Malaysia), converting the sponge-like terrain of the swamps created from flooding of the Bernam River into cultivatable rice paddies. The film opens with a shot of people milling around in a square in Malay. Sacks of rice are loaded off ships at the docks in Malay (00:37), as the country imports rice. An aerial view shows the swampland area in Selangor that borders the Straits of Malacca, which is being reclaimed for rice paddies. Viewers see the swamps of the Bernam River (02:06). Workers use machetes and axes to clear the swamp. Men cut large trees down with axes. The narrator says that work began in 1933, then stopped when the Japanese occupied the country, and resumed again in 1945. Footage shows the barren area where all the trees have been cut down (03:34). Men operate a crane excavator to move mud and build a barrier against the edge of the sea. Viewers see a dam built on the river to divert water to irrigation canals. An excavator digs earth for another canal (04:36). Men attach palm leaves to a roof during the construction of a home. Men the clear land for rice paddies. A man drives a tractor, plowing a field (05:54). Men plant rice seeds and then cover them with palm leaves (06:12). A westerner gives advice to a local man. Malay settlers hold a Planters Council meeting (06:42). There is a shot of the dam that diverts water to the rice paddies. A man opens the gates to allow water into different canals. A man carries rice paddy shoots to a new field for transplanting. Women work in the rice paddies, planting the new shoots (07:57). The film shows the remaining swamp, water moving through canals, and mature rice crops. Men and women harvest the rice crop (09:00), concluding the film.
Tanjong Karang is a mukim in Kuala Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is loosely translated into English as the “Cape of Corals”. Tanjong Karang town is divided by the Sungai Tengi at the middle but connected with a bridge. The local Chinese minority lives in the urban and seaside (Bagan) area, while most Malays live in rural areas and perform agricultural activities, particularly rice cultivation.
Bernam River (Malay: Sungai Bernam) is located between the Malaysian states of Perak and Selangor, demarcating the border of the two states. Bernam River flows from Mount Liang Timur (Mount Liang East) in the east on the Titiwangsa Mountains to the Straits of Malacca in the west. The peak of Mount Liang Timur itself marks the tripoint where Pahang, Perak and Selangor meet. The eastern part of the river is suitable for palm oil and rubber tree plantation while swamps fill the western areas. A percentage of the swampy areas have been reclaimed and dried up by a drainage system. Some has been converted into paddy fields. Archeologists have discovered several archaeological sites along the river, where ancient artifacts were found. Excavation works had been carried out by experts from various local universities and Muzium Sultan Alam Shah.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
