KUANTAN, Aug 1 — Every time it rains heavily, 66-year-old housewife Yazi Samad gets anxious and keeps looking at the Semantan river near her house in Kampung Batu Kapor, Mentakab in Temerloh.
She married a native of the village in 1974 and has lived in the house ever since.
The house is hit by floods almost yearly, due to the overflowing river, resulting in the family being considered ‘permanent residents’ of the temporary evacuation centre.
Yazi sincerely hopes that the relevant authorities can immediately implement the flood mitigation project to reduce the natural disaster’s impact, for the well-being of the villagers.
“It is very tiring having to evacuate (every time it floods)…from the days when my husband and I were just a young couple to having grandchildren now, we are still facing the floods. There were years when our house was flooded more than once.
“During my younger days I was strong enough to move here and there, but now I am old, my energy level is not the same. Fortunately, the children help,” she said when contacted by Bernama.
Yazi said flood mitigation is critical as the floods can be severe, like the one which occurred in December 2021, with water levels rising to the roof of the houses.
“Many people ask us, why not just move (if we know there are always floods). But where can we go? This is our land. We have built this house and hope to pass it on to our grandchildren. This is the only legacy we have to give,” she said.
In the MADANI Economy: Empowering the People announcement recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gave assurance that the government will immediately implement flood mitigation projects, including in Pahang, to protect the local communities.
Meanwhile, a resident from Mentakab, Temerloh, Lydiawati Hassan Busry, 40, who faced the floods in 2021, said it was a great relief that the government was making efforts to speed up the flood mitigation project.
She said the government’s positive steps could also prevent people from losing thousands of ringgit every year due to flood damages.
“The shop I rent in Mentakab town was never affected by floods, but that year the water rose to five feet and damaged the structure of the shop. I appreciate the government’s initiative and hope that the massive floods we experienced will never happen again,” she said.
Meanwhile, housewife Nor Jass, 54, from Taman Tas Jaya, hoped that the contractors appointed would also play their role in ensuring the government’s noble efforts are successfully implemented by completing the project according to specifications and as scheduled.
