KLUANG, March 7 (Bernama) — Around 100 Orang Asli residents of Kampung Sungai Peroh, Kahang here are praying that they will receive necessities and aid from various agencies after their land route was cut off since Feb 27.
Village elder Yusri Abdullah said the floods that hit the village, near Sungai Sembrong, this time could be considered almost the same as the big flood of 2006.
He said there was only one way in and out of the village that could be used to resupply them quickly, a 30-minute boat trip through the Sungai Bahai oil palm plantation.
The other route, using four-wheeled drive vehicles from Ladang Paloh, would take over three hours, he said.
“It’s almost the same situation during the big flood of 2006, only that time our land route was cut off for three weeks, and this time it’s over a week already.
“We can only hope and pray that the waters recede, and we can resume our daily activities and work as usual. This time it rose to almost two metres so quickly,” he told Bernama after receiving some necessities from Econsave at the village today.
He said the majority of villagers worked as fishermen and plantation workers, and they took the intiative to catch fish for their daily needs and for sale to nearby plantation workers.
He said villagers did not suffer a disruption in food supply and basic necessities as many agencies, including the Social Welfare Department and the Orang Asli Development Department, had managed to deliver aid.
Authorities, including the police, have also checked up on the village for safety reasons and to monitor the current situation here.
Meanwhile, Econsave Cash And Carry supermarket general manager, Mas Imran Adam said they donated aid worth RM3,000 in necessities such as rice, cooking oil, biscuits, baby milk and disposable diapers to 40 families in the village.
He added that overall, various aid, including blankets, worth RM50,000 were donated to flood victims in Johor and Melaka.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency