KOTA TINGGI – Annoyed with the constant flooding of their homes, a group of residents in Jalan Marikat Batu 9, Kg Mawai here, took the initiative to build a 300-m drainage system using their own money.
A resident, Nur Azizan Morshidi, 35, said residents managed to collect RM500 to rent an excavator to carry out the work last month.
She said the plan worked as floodwaters did not enter their homes. Previously when it rains, the water level would rise up to their calves.
“The eight of us decided to pool our money to build the drain to prevent our homes from being flooded.
“And our preparations prevented our homes from being flooded. Before this, because of the floods, a lot of our possessions were damaged, including cupboards and mattresses. We could not salvage anything and that is the reason why we hired professionals to dig the drain,” she said when met at the SK Mawai flood relief centre here today.
A mother of one, Nur Azizan has been staying in the area for the past five years.
Now, she and her husband Baki Anak Tawan, 55, and eight other families can heave a sigh of relief after their efforts were successful.
However, despite their accomplishment, they still had to be evacuated to the relief centre because the main road to their village had been cut off by the floods.
Nur Azizan said she and her family were evacuated at 3pm yesterday with the help of Civil Defence Force personnel following heavy rain since 5am.
Meanwhile, Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, accompanied by his sons Tunku Temenggong of Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Panglima of Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Putera of Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim, visited 117 flood victims at the SK Mawai relief centre at 12.15pm today.
They spent about 20 minutes talking to the flood victims. – Bernama, January 3, 2022
