Pendang folk want floods issue resolved for good

PENDANG: Local folk here affected by floods due to the river overflowing on Sunday are urging the authorities to solve their woes for good.

They said they could not afford to suffer further losses.

A tile dealer in Kampung Seberang Pendang here said he suffered thousands of ringgit in losses due to the floods.

Ng Cheng Khian, 50, said apart from the tiles being spoilt, sales also dropped as customers could not get to his shop.

“We usually sell 300 to 500 boxes of tiles worth about RM8,000 on normal days, but since the floods (on Sunday), sales have declined to only 50 to 60 boxes, worth between RM1,000 and RM2,000 a day,” he said, adding that floods occurred almost every year.

He urged the government to deepen or widen the river.

Meanwhile, a resident who lives near the river also claimed to have incurred losses due to floods.

Sharifah Abd Rahman, 48, of Kampung Pondok Haji Husin, said as her house was so close to the river, she did not have time to salvage her electrical equipment and furniture before the water gushed in.

“On Monday, flood waters also carried a small python into my house. As I am so scared the snakes will come in again, I’ve decided to move to the relief centre,” she said yesterday.

“My neighbours have also decided to evacuate to the centre at the Cenderawasih Hall.”

According to Social Welfare Department, there are 103 people from 32 families at the Cenderawasih Hall as of 2pm yesterday.