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24-563: The description of the river is complicated by the local naming convention: instead of using the name Kelantan river from estuary to source, the name is only used for the section from the estuary to the confluence of its two main tributaries, the Galas River and the Lebir River, near the town of Kuala Krai . The same naming convention applies to these tributaries. Thus to describe the main river from source to mouth involves four names:

48-604: A 219-km missing link from Kuala Lipis to Kuala Krai. The missing link was only constructed in 1981. The Kuala Krai–Gua Musang Highway FT8 was completed first in August 1983, followed by the Kuala Lipis–Gua Musang Highway FT8 in 1986. Some parts of the Federal Route 8 can be seen to have constructions which are an upgrading progress of the route. The highway construction can be seen after Merapoh which

72-739: A Mr. Gerald Bradley who was the energetic District Officer of the interior of Kelantan at the time. They have recently been renamed the Kuala Krai Steps . Just upstream from the town is the confluence of the Lebir and Galas rivers to become the Kelantan river, and it became clear that an elevated river level at the Bradley Steps was a good predictor of imminent flooding in the cultivated and populated river basin further downstream (i.e. Kota Bharu ). Consequently, stick gauges were placed by

96-563: A direct road link between Kota Bharu and the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur . The suburb of Guchil has developed along this road to take advantage of the increased traffic. Some important events in the history of the town: Kuala Krai has excellent transport links. The railway station operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) is on the East Coast Line which runs from Tumpat and Wakaf Bharu (close to Kota Bharu) right through

120-573: A small hill close to the town. Also known as Hospikrai , it serves a population of 200,000 in the southern part of Kelantan, and has 120 beds and 218 staff. The hospital has resident specialists in Obstetrics & Gynecology , Pediatrics , Surgery , Anesthesiology , Pathology and Medical ; there are visiting specialists from Kota Bharu for work in Psychiatric , Dermatology , Ophthalmology , Orthopedic and ENT . Kuala Krai Mini Zoo

144-490: Is a town located in the coterminous Kuala Krai District in southern-central Kelantan , Malaysia . During British protection it was known as Kuala Lebir . It is 67 km from state capital Kota Bharu and 273 km from national capital Kuala Lumpur . The altitude is 53 metres (177 ft) above sea level here. The history of the town of Kuala Krai started with the building of the East Coast Railway in

168-490: Is at Bukit Tujuh. The highway will take a new route ( Central Spine Road ) at Chegar Perah thus reducing the accident risks involving animals and sharp corners. Now, some parts of the old route at Chegar Perah had been demolished and motorist have been redirected into the Central Spine Road for a few kilometres before being redirected back to the Federal Route 8 just before Bukit Tujuh (Seven Hills). The following

192-572: Is famed for. The mouth of the Kelantan River is also infamous for being the site where Japanese troops first landed during their invasion of Malaya in December 1941. The Kelantan River regularly overspills its banks during the months of November to February because of the northeast monsoon season. The estimate flood volume under the 50 year flood condition at Kusial Bridge is about 6 billion m. Severe flooding occurred in 1926 and 1967. In

216-484: Is managed by the District Council and open to the public. It is home to a variety of animals, including a male elephant called "Salleh", monkeys, bears, deer and various birds. The site extends to about 10 acres (40,000 m ), and also includes a Mini Museum displaying photographs and documents relating to the history of Kuala Krai, as well as a number of preserved animals. The mini zoo was opened in 1961 and

240-483: Is the only zoo to specialise exclusively in animals from the Malaysian jungle. There is a small public library in the town which, as well as giving access to its collection of books, affords public access to the internet for a small charge. Eighty-one concrete steps leading down from the town to the river bank and boat jetty were constructed sometime between 1927 and 1929, and were named the Bradley Steps after

264-721: The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8 (Exit 810) at Bentong, Pahang. Together with the Federal Route 9 , it runs along the eastern foothills of the Titiwangsa Range from its southern terminus to Raub. Then, the highways runs further from the Titiwangsa towards Kuala Lipis , and then runs along the western foothills of the Tahan Range towards Kuala Krai. Finally, the Federal Route 8 runs along

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288-488: The 1920s. Before that, the only settlement of any significance in the area was called Batu Mengkebang. The area was remote and travel was by river: there was a weekly service from Kota Baru to Batu Mengkebang via Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah , run by Duff Development River Steamers under contract to the Kelantan Government. The opening of the railway line made a significant difference to the remote interior of

312-519: The 1967 floods 84% of the Kelantan population (537,000 people) were badly affected. Some 125,000 people were evacuated and 38 drowned. More recently a telemetric flood forecasting system has been installed to give warning of high river levels. Some of the worst floods in recent years have been: 6°13′N 102°14′E  /  6.217°N 102.233°E  / 6.217; 102.233 Kuala Krai Kuala Krai (alternative spelling: Kuala Kerai; Kelantanese : Kkeghe ; Jawi : كوالا كراي)

336-674: The Federal Route 8 was a part of the 80-mile Kuala Kubu–Kuala Lipis Road, the earliest trunk road in Pahang, which was constructed by the Public Works Department in 1887. The Kuala Kubu–Kuala Lipis Road connected Kuala Kubu Bharu in Selangor and Kuala Lipis in Pahang. Later, a section from Teranum to Bentong was constructed in 1915. At the same time, the Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai Road was constructed, together with

360-477: The Kuala Terengganu–Kuantan Road FT3. The original FT8 section from Raub to Bentong via Teranum was later bypassed by a more straight super two highway in 1958 in conjunction of the opening of FELDA Lurah Bilut , causing the old, winding section to be re-gazetted as the Federal Route 218 . However, Bentong–Kuala Lipis Road FT8 and Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai Road FT8 were not extended, creating

384-627: The Nenggiri River, the river's left tributary, show evidence of habitation going back to 9000 years ago, such as Gua Cha near Kuala Betis. Lower down, Malay villages dot the banks of the river which passes through one of the most densely populated floodplains in Peninsular Malaysia whose paddy fields produce around 12% of the Malaysian rice production. The river flows past seven important towns, from south to north: Kuala Krai , Tanah Merah , Machang , Pasir Mas , Tumpat ,

408-643: The River Betis (first 20 miles from the source), then the River Nenggiri, then the River Galas, and finally the Kelantan River. The river's tributaries rise in the forested mountains in the Gua Musang region in southern Kelantan, where many Orang Asli tribes live. The area is known for its karst topography , dotted with mogotes with numerous caves beneath them. Some cave systems along

432-548: The eastern bank of the Kelantan River to its northern terminus at Kota Bharu . The FT8 highway is notorious for its severe traffic congestion, especially along the Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai section. The traffic congestion becomes apparent during festive seasons, with the recorded journey time from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu exceeding 16 hours during the 2014 Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season. A portion of

456-488: The interior parts of Kelantan and Pahang to Gemas on the west of the peninsula, where it joins the West Coast Line from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur . The town has good road links, with Federal Route 8 passing close to the town. It is also located on the western bank of the Kelantan River , along which there are regular boat services up-river from the town. Hospital Kuala Krai (HKK) opened in 1917, built on

480-412: The south to Kota Bharu in the north. The highway had two parts - Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai Road (Malay: Jalan Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai ) and Bentong–Kuala Lipis Road (Malay: Jalan Bentong–Kuala Lipis ) until the completion of the missing link from Kuala Krai to Kuala Lipis, causing the entire FT8 highway to take 99 years to be completed. The Kilometre Zero of the Federal Route 8 starts at its interchange with

504-411: The state capital Kota Bharu , as well as Pengkalan Chepa , Towards the estuary the river forms a delta that spans the districts of Tumpat and Kota Bharu . The area around the actual estuary, known as Kuala Besar , is dotted with picturesque fishing villages, which are also well known for the production of batik (a local patterned material produced by waxing and dyeing cloth) for which Kelantan

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528-426: The state of Kelantan. River traffic downstream from Kuala Krai was soon completely replaced by rail travel, and the railway became very popular with what was still quite a large planting fraternity in the interior of the state. The town grew as a centre of trade and supplies for the surrounding area. More recently, road traffic past the town has significantly increased with the proximity of Federal Route 8 which opens

552-522: The steps so that the river level could be read and monitored by the local police, who transmitted the rainfall and water level information via VHF sets to the Flood Warning and Relief Committee in Kota Bharu. The Kelantan Department of Drainage and Irrigation has since replaced the stick gauges with metric plates. This facilitates the prediction of flood levels and lead-times in villages all

576-630: The way from Kuala Krai to the river estuary. The steps, and the floodwater level, can be seen on the Kuala Krai Flood Webcam . There are a number of schools and colleges in the town, including: Malaysia Federal Route 8 The Federal Route 8 , also known as the Kuala Lumpur–Kota Bharu Highway ( Malay : Jalan Kuala Lumpur–Kota Bharu ), is a 402.7-km federal highway in Malaysia . It connects Bentong in

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