MELAKA – Residents of the Malay heritage village, Kg Morten, here, especially the food traders, regret the viraling of photographs of the flood situation there last Saturday, making the village look like an island.
Kg Morten Development and Security Committee chairman Jalina Mahmood said this was an irresponsible action as the photos were taken from a nearby high-rise building, which did not give a true picture of the flood situation in the village.
She said it had not only upset the villagers but could also adversely affect the tourism sector at this iconic area, especially small food traders.
“The photos do not show what actually happened in Kg Morten at the end of last week as not all houses here were flooded but only (those located at) a small section of this village. This is because they are located on a lower ground than other houses.
“Moreover, floods are not unusual occurrences in Kg Morten as it is located next to Melaka River, which frequently overflows to this village during high tide or a long period of heavy rain,” she said, here, yesterday.
Jalina said the frequent flooding at the village is not serious, with only a few houses inundated and the flood waters receded fast.
She added that following the viralled photos, many of the traders lost their source of income as tourists and visitors did not enter the village, especially last Sunday, and there were still less visitors until yesterday.
Food trader, Amnah Othman, 64, said her business had been affected since.
However on Saturday, despite heavy rain, Kg Morten still received many visitors, who came just to walk around or eat. There was also a homestay for accommodation, but after the photos were viralled, no visitors dared to enter the village.
“Business was really bad last Sunday, and until yesterday, it was still less compared to before the photos were viralled. Usually, there had been a string of cars entering this village,” she said.
Sharing his feelings of disappointment and sadness, Sofian Jaafar, 35, said his family’s five-year-old food business had also been affected by the deceiving photos.
Born in the village, he said people did not feel unsafe to enter Kg Morten when the situation was unlike that pictured.
“Perhaps, some people believe that Kg Morten is like an island now, but I am appealing to them, especially the outsiders, not to spread inaccurate news as this has adversely affected our business.
A resident, Salim Abu, 65, said the flood that occurred had only affected a row of houses in Lorong Tun Mamat 1 due to its proximity to the river, as well as some houses along another lane.
“The photos taken from above do not show the whole village area but only focusing on the location along the river. My house is also at Lorong Tun Mamat 1, but it was not flooded.
“So, please stop this action (viraling of the photos) as it can cause losses to many people,” he said.
Bernama had previously reported Melaka Irrigation and Drainage Department director Abd Hakim Hamzah as saying that the flood that occurred in Kg Morten on January 1 was due to the high tide phenomenon and overflowing of Sg Melaka after continuous rain over a few days. – Bernama, January 7, 2022
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