TUMPAT, Jan 9 — More than 2,000 residents in island villages in the Teluk Renjuna sub-district, here hope their welfare would be looked into after running out of food for almost three days following the third wave of floods that hit Kelantan currently.
Most of the residents met by Bernama said they had lost contact with the ‘outside world’ due to the fast river currents at the island villages since Wednesday with water levels exceeding 10 metres.
A resident of Kampung Pulau Suri, Suliana Shafi-in, 40, said today was the second day she was without food supply but was grateful to her family including her neighbours who were willing to share their food.
“I want to go out to the nearby town to buy food but it is impossible since the river currents have been quite fast for the past two or three days and it is quite dangerous for us who only have this regular boat to navigate it,” said the single mother of four children.
A resident in the same village, Ramly Ibrahim, 62, said in order to continue surviving, 80 residents in the village helped each other by sharing food supplies such as rice, sugar, salt, milk and so on with their neighbours in need.
“Thank god, the water near our homes is starting to decrease but the river currents are quite fast at this time so they prevents us from going to town to buy basic necessities.
“While waiting for the water to recede and the situation is not dangerous, we agreed to share food supplies with neighbours who are short of rice, eggs, sugar, salt and others,” said the fisherman.
Another resident of Kampung Pulau Suri, Mustafa Mahmud, 62, said apart from the lack of food supply and basic necessities, the income of the majority of residents around Pulau Teluk Renjuna was affected since the start of the monsoon season.
“Furthermore, the flood situation this time makes it more difficult for most residents on the island who are fishermen and small traders to earn a living. They also do not know how long before the situation will change for the better,” he said.
Apart from Kampung Pulau Suri, among the villages that were flooded due to the overflow of water from Sungai Kelantan to waist level were Kampung Haji Nik Mat and Kampung Lubuk Kawah which were located less than 100 metres from the river.
Meanwhile, the Selangor Bandar Botani Community Rehabilitation Centre in collaboration with Pertubuhan Ayahanda Anakanda Malaysia (PAAK) and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) Kota Bharu had distributed 500 food packets in each village on the islands.
“Through the report I received, the majority of the residents here are fishermen and their income is quite affected following the monsoon season.
‘’In fact, we were also told that more than 2,000 residents around Pulau Teluk Renjuna have run out of food for almost three days,” said PAAK chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Adnan Shukri as the co-ordinator of the relief mission.
A donor recipient identified as Mat, 55, expressed his appreciation to those involved in the flood relief mission, as there was not enough food in his house at this time.
“This is the first time that the authorities and non-governmental organisations have come to contribute to us since the beginning of the third wave of this flood,” said Mat, who lives in Kampung Lubuk Kawah. — Bernama
