Hoping for Gold Flakes from a Drying Lake

Residents search for gold flakes in the Lake Semayang area of Kota Bangun, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, on Sunday (11 October 2026). Land that is usually covered by water has become a place where people are trying their luck. For some residents, who work as fishermen in their daily lives, searching for gold flakes is an alternative way to earn extra income while the lake dries up during the dry season.

Local residents are making use of the dried-up area of Lake Semayang to search for gold flakes as an additional source of income. The activity is one way they are adapting to changes in the lake’s conditions during the dry season. With fishing opportunities limited, residents hope the gold flakes they find will help meet their daily needs.

Lake Semayang has been reported to be drying up since August 2026 as a result of the dry season. Falling water levels have exposed land around the lake, making it accessible to residents. This change to the landscape has also altered local people’s activities; they have traditionally relied on their fishing catches for income.

As the lake’s water recedes, new hope has emerged across land usually submerged. Residents searched for gold flakes in the Lake Semayang area of Kota Bangun, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, on Sunday (11 October 2026). For residents who work as fishermen, land exposed by the dry season has become an opportunity to earn additional income.

Lake Semayang has reportedly been drying up since August 2026 because of the dry season. The changing conditions have prompted residents to try their luck searching for gold flakes in the exposed area. With the lake’s water levels falling, this has become a way for some residents to supplement their income while coping with seasonal changes that affect their livelihoods.