Bleak Deepavali ahead for family

GEORGE TOWN: Deepavali this year would be a happier one for a family of four if they get to move out from their wooden house which is often inundated whenever there is heavy rain.

Cleaner S. Jeyajothi, 41, said they had been residing in the dilapidated two-bedroom house in Air Itam for the past four years after moving here from Kedah to look for a job.

She said whenever there is a downpour, water would quickly fill the house and in the recent flooding, it spoiled the mattresses and pillows which were on the floor.

“We don’t have a lot of furniture as the previous flood had damaged the sofa which was given by a friend.

“We did not replace what was damaged as we feared that it would again be damaged in the event of a flood,” said the mother of two when met at her home yesterday.

 

Jeyajothi said she earns only RM1,000 monthly while her odd-job worker husband makes RM60 a day and they have to pay the RM350 house rent and utility bills of over RM70.

“My two children, both aged 11, are studying at SJKT Rajaji and we need to pay for their school bus too.”

Currently, the house only has a small cupboard in the living room and kitchen together with the water-soaked mattresses and pillows lying in the bedroom.

After the recent flooding, the drain around the house also became clogged with rubbish, and it has become a mosquito breeding ground.

She added that her son has asthma and whenever it floods, he would have an asthma attack.

“And my daughter has a growth on her left hand, which the doctor said was benign but it gets painful whenever the weather becomes too cold.

Keeping their spirits up: Kumaran Reddy (left) playing with his sister Rubbani, who is lying on the mattress which was soaked during the flood at their home in Air Itam, Penang. (Below) Their mother Jeyajothi hopes that they can find a better place to move from the current rented wooden house. — WAN MOHIZAN WAN HUSSEIN/The Star

“I just hope that we can find a better place to move as this house is unsafe for my children,” she said.

Penang Hindu Association (PHA) visited the family to give some food items worth RM120.

“We plan to supply them with monthly rations, until they move to another place. We will also help them to look for a rental home and apply for affordable housing.

“Besides that, we will also try to apply for aid from the Welfare Department and provide medical assistance for the kids,” said PHA deputy president P. Murugiah.

Those wanting to help the family by donating furniture or money can contact PHA assistant treasurer S. Chandrasekaran (016-4390615).