KUALA TERENGGANU: The floods that hit the state since last week have not fully receded. But the state government has already incurred about RM354.55mil in losses.
Terengganu state secretary Datuk Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail, who is also the state disaster committee chairman, said the bulk of the damage was to road infrastructure. It alone amounted to RM350.23mil.
“Damage to the state roads was about RM228mil while that to federal roads was close to RM122.25mil,” he said.
“The state government will need a huge amount of money to repair all the infrastructure,” Wan Nawawi said during a briefing when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited two evacuation centres in the state yesterday.
Wan Nawawi said the state would also need an additional RM245mil to repair damages to hill slopes near state and federal roads, and the drainage systems.
He added that the state government would submit a request to the Federal Government to approve an allocation of RM625.65mil to carry out repairs and upgrading works.
Farmer Nik Mohd Fazrul Fahmi Nik Man said he lost RM26,000 after 1,000 pepper plants and chillies he grew on his 0.6ha land were damaged due to the floods.
“I have invested a lot and every sen from my savings has gone down the drain,” he said.
The floods have receded in many parts of the state with many evacuation centres, especially in Besut, Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman, closed.
However, floodwaters upstream have flooded houses in Kuala Nerus, Kuala Terengganu, Dungun and Marang.
As of 6pm yesterday, the worst-hit district so far was Kuala Nerus with 742 evacuees, followed by Kuala Terengganu (461), Dungun (100) and Marang (39).
Four schools – SK Kampung Las, SK Kompleks Gong Badak and SK Bukit Guntong (both in Kuala Nerus) and SK Banggol Peradong here – are being used as evacuation centres.
State Education, Science, Technology and Transformation Committee chairman A. Latiff Awang said the closure of the four schools would involve 509 students and 42 teachers.
He also called on the state Education Department to conduct an evaluation on the losses incurred by all schools due to the floods.
In Kota Baru, 11 schools will still be closed today due to floods, according to a statement by the State Education Department, Bernama reported.
It said six of the schools were located in Pasir Mas and five in Tumpat.
The schools closed in Pasir Mas district are SK Sri Rantau Panjang 2, SK Gual Tinggi, SK Gual To’ Deh, SK Bakong, SK Gelang Mas and government-aided religious school Diniah Bongor.
The five schools closed in the Tumpat district are SK Simpangan, SK Bendang Pak Yong, SMA Nurul Huda Kajang Sebidang, SK Teluk Jering and SK Padang Mandol.
Some of the schools were closed due flooded roads.
Others were because the schools remain flooded and the premises were being used as evacuation centres.
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