‘We just want to go home’
They are living in tents, sleeping in classrooms and bathing in toilets meant for schoolchildren as their houses are at risk of collapsing after the landslide in Taman Idaman, Serendah. Though the Government may offer them low-cost houses, all the 65 fami
HULU SELANGOR: It looks like a strange picnic area or a boot camp. The classrooms of Sekolah Rendah Agama Serendah are filled with rectangular blue tents with zip-up sides where one can enter or exit.
These, for now, are the homes of the 25 families from Taman Idaman who have been forced to evacuate their homes after a landslide swallowed shops, cars and motorcycles and left their houses at risk of collapse, too.
Life is not the same anymore for these people. They sleep on mattresses and there is no television or radio.
They have to share the toilets too. It is cramped and there is no place to take a bath. They have to wash themselves in the toilets. And there is no place to wash their clothes either.
Some families were fortunate to move in with friends and relatives. But the 128 people staying there are making do.
They spend their time chatting with their friends, neighbours and family members. Some rely on their phones and laptops for entertainment.
They have food and other basic necessities such as blankets and pillows.
Despite the fears that they may be homeless if the 64 affected houses are considered unsafe, the mood among them is relaxed and calm.
Housewife Sharimah Rahman put on a brave face and smiled when asked about how she and her family were coping.
“We are doing all right. We are comfortable. They’ve provided us with everything we need.
“But we are just hoping that we can go back home soon,” said the mother of seven.
Sharimah, 47, said she had been staying in Taman Idaman for 15 years with her children and her husband, Mohd Kodus Mohd Rafi, 50.
For another resident, Mohd Ramlan Mohd Amir, 51, it would be “unthinkable” to have to move away from his house.
“Everything I have worked for; my whole life is here.
“I am scared it will come to an end,” said Mohd Ramlan, who lived there for 26 years.
The father of seven said that while he appreciated the offer by the Government to help with relocation if needed, he hoped it would not come to that.
“I hope they can fix the problem and let us go home to our own houses soon,” he said.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar, who visited the site yesterday, said his ministry would consider giving the affected residents homes in People’s Housing Projects or low-cost houses if the Taman Idaman houses were to be declared unsafe.