RANTAU PANJANG: For residents living just metres away from Sungai Golok here, warnings of another round of floods have become a grim routine rather than a shock.
Following the Irrigation and Drainage Department’s (DID) warning that seven districts in Kelantan are expected to be hit by a second wave of floods beginning tomorrow, some 100 families in low-lying areas along the river are once again on alert.
For them, floods are no longer an occasional disaster but a way of life.
“Living near Sungai Golok, this is something we have grown used to,” said Mohamad Zulkifli Zakaria, 50, who is self-employed.
He said he and his family only made minor preparations this morning after being informed that floods were expected to affect Pasir Mas, Rantau Panjang and several other districts starting tomorrow.
“We just tidied up a bit. Most of the preparations we made during last month’s floods are still in place and we won’t dismantle them until the northeast monsoon season ends,” said the father of three.
Zulkifli said it was common for more than 100 residents in Rantau Panjang town who live close to Sungai Golok to be evacuated more than four times a year.
“The experience of last month’s floods, when the river overflowed its banks and entered our homes, has made us constantly alert,” he said.
A trader, who only wanted to be known as Nik Yah, 63, said she had not dismantled the wooden staging built in front of her house during the first wave of floods last month.
“Just last month, during the first wave, my relatives and I built a staging area in front of our house to place our belongings.
“And now, we’ve been told that another flood will hit our village. We are ready to face it again,” she said.
With memories of muddy waters still fresh, residents say they are bracing themselves once more, hoping the coming floods will be kinder than the last.
The Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) yesterday said there is a high likelihood of flooding in seven districts in Kelantan from Dec 14 to 17.
The National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre issued the warning following a continuous heavy rain advisory from MetMalaysia on Friday (Dec 12).
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
