Initially such power was only available for 12 hours each day. Imported products were sold in a duty-free shop. Non-residents were usually not allowed to enter Sungai Lembing without permission and a security checkpoint was set up at the entrance to the town. Some buildings catering to the wealthy prohibited entry to lower class workers. In 1926, flooding in the area caused damage to of railway track, a hospital and 250 homes, and the mining operation was suspended for three months. Mining was also affected by the Great Depression of the 1920s, during which quotas were imposed on tin production. During the 1942-1945 Japanese occupation of Malaya, mining stocks were hidden and mines were destroyed with flooding by British mine managers to prevent Japanese army from being able to access the tin resources, and European personnel fled the country. Post independence and decline After the war mining continued, and by the 1960s the town's private diesel generator was producing 7 MW, over three times more than that of the public generator in Kuantan, the nearby state capital. In 1979, PCCL transferred ownership of the company from Britain to Malaysia and renamed itself Pahang Consolidated Public Limited Company (PCPLC). As worldwide demand for tin and prices of tin fell, the mine was temporarily shut down in 1986. The closure of mines caused around 800 miners to become unemployed and the company entered receivership after financial losses. No parties were interested in taking over the mining activity and the mine was permanently closed by the Government of Pahang in 1987. After the mine closure, many residents moved elsewhere to seek employment and some facilities such as shops and petrol stations were forced to shut down, although some shops continued to operate. Prior to 2001, the area's main industry shifted from mining to agriculture; deforestation caused by this change led to flooding becoming more frequent. In December 1988, there were proposals to revive the town, then supporting 14,000 residents, and redevelop it into a tourist attraction. One suggestion was to covert the former mining general's bungalow into either a resthouse or a museum; the bungalow was converted into the Sungai Lembing Museum. The proposals included plans to convert former workers' quarters into chalets to mitigate a lack of accommodations for visitors, improve the infrastructure in the town and open a health clinic. Revitalization The Sungai Lembing Museum was opened in 2001; this led