KUALA KRAI – Nearly 1,000 residents of Kg Tualang, Kg Chenih, and Kg Bekak here have to rely on a temporary boat service (bot tambang) after the road to their villages was flooded.
The floods have also forced residents of nearby areas to use the boat service in their daily dealings with the villagers.
One of them, the Imam of Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra Mosque, Armin Azahari Mamat, 35, had to use a boat to go to Kg Tualang to solemnise a wedding.
“The bride and groom should have been married at the Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra Mosque in Kuala Krai but since their area was flooded, I decided to go to their residence to perform my duty,” said Armin Azahari, who has been an imam for six years.
A resident of Kg Tualang, Ahmad Muzri Mohd Najib, 37, said the village was flooded every monsoon season but this is the first time it was cut off by flood waters.
“I am thankful for the boat service as it is the only way for residents in the three villages to traverse the flooded 300m stretch,” said the Politeknik Kota Bharu lecturer.
Boat skipper Azizan Abdul Mutalib, 50, who is also a carpenter, said he provided the service by using a boat installed with an outboard engine.
“I make almost 30 trips a day to help the residents to attend to their affairs, including buying necessities and going to work, between 6am and 10pm.
“Apart from me, there is another boat operator, Mohd Fariz Sazwan R Azmi, 26, who provides a similar service for the residents,” said Azizan, who charges each passenger RM1 for a one-way trip.
In Kg Jalan Geale here, eight people from two families have decided to stay in their own tents for the past three days after their houses were flooded.
Shukor Ahmad Ramli, 44, said he refused to move to an evacuation centre (PPS) as he was worried about the spread of Covid-19.
“Although I know the standard operating procedure (SOP) at PPS is strict, I am more comfortable to be with my family in my own tent. At the same time I can also monitor our house which is located not far from here,” he said.
Jusoh Che Awang, 55, a grocery trader, said he, his wife and their three children aged between 20 and 30 refused to be evacuated because they could not carry all the goods to the centre.
“The goods were brought along because I was worried that they would be damaged and cause us losses. At the same time I could still sell the groceries to the public around the tent area,” he said. – Bernama, January 8, 2021
