IT IS said that necessity is the mother of invention.
In the case of Kampung Giching, the village in Sepang, Selangor, is so prone to flooding that the villagers have taken to customising fittings in their homes to keep their valuables, electrical appliances and household items safe.
Freelance contractor Shamsudin Abu Yamin, 47, even has a raft parked outside his home.
He built the raft himself, and installed heavy-duty castor wheels so it can be moved on dry land.
The raft was completed within two days at a cost of RM2,200.
Using lightweight metal for the frame and plywood to form the platform resting atop nine 21-litre plastic chemical drums as floats, the makeshift raft’s weight capacity is one tonne.
On dry days, this roofed construction functions as a gazebo for family and friends.
But there is a reason why the raft has been purposely parked beside a tree with straps placed nearby.
When it floods, Shamsudin loads all his household electrical items on the raft.
To keep it secure, the raft will be anchored to a tree in front of his house.
He hopes his DIY raft will enable him to preserve valuable items like his washing machine and two chest freezers, one of which was nearly lost in the recent floods.
The bulky items are secured to the plywood floor with mounting brackets.
“This raft is my ‘insurance’. I cannot bear to lose any more of my possessions,” he said.
A loft to lift his spirits
Contractor Mohd Rizal Madam, 38, too, had considered emulating his neighbour’s creation after frequent floods damaged his television set and a RM4,000 industrial oven given to him under the Selangor Poverty Eradication Blueprint (BBPKNS) scheme.
But it dawned on him that his wife Zaiti Nor Zaikah Sylong, 37, would not have the strength needed to fasten such a huge and heavy contraption to an anchoring point against rushing floodwaters, should he be away.
“The frequent floods in the village have caused my wife to suffer from breathlessness.
“I presume this has something to do with the emotional turmoil she is going through, as the doctors have ruled out asthma and other lung diseases.
“Her condition was so bad that during the floods, while my neighbours were busy saving their belongings, I was rushing her to hospital,” said Mohd Rizal.
So, he decided a loft, constructed out of cement board and plywood in his kitchen, was the better option.
This way, it would be more convenient for the family to carry their valuables to a higher level within the house.
Work started in August last year and was completed within two weeks, just in the nick of time as it coincided with the October floods.
During the floods, the loft sheltered a washing machine, refrigerator, the family’s clothes, the children’s school textbooks, Mohd Rizal’s power drill and work tools as well as dry food items like sugar and instant noodles.
Placed about 3.5m above the kitchen floor, Mohd Rizal, his wife and a good friend had to physically carry the building materials up using a ladder.
Mohd Rizal used 13 cement sheets measuring 2.4m by 1.2m to build the loft.
Once it was completed, he built a flight of stairs for easy accessibility.
The staircase consists of seven steps and a landing made from recycled wood and 5cm thick wooden beams, secured with 12cm bolt screws.
“It helped that the foundation structure where the kitchen is, has been designed to withstand the load of a two-storey house.
“I had planned it that way when I was doing upgrades to this house, which belongs to my wife, in 2014.
“The original structure was made of plywood but after 30 years, the wood had warped due to frequent floods,” said Mohd Rizal.
Building barriers, erecting shelves
The first flood mitigation feature built in Borhan Mat Lani’s 10-year-old house was a 30cm-high cement barrier at the entrance.
“My mother has a hard time climbing over this barrier every time she visits,” said the former security guard and hatchery operator.
He had little choice but to construct this barrier five years ago, because his property is just metres away from a flood bund in Jalan Ali Budin and Sungai Labu.
Whenever a downpour causes Sungai Labu to burst its banks, his garden is inundated.
In the past, this cement barrier was able to keep his house dry.
But this year, water entered his house and reached as high as his chest.
“Last October, floods inundated the village twice within a week.
“Each disaster inspired me to find ways to protect my possessions,” said Borhan.
Using timber measuring an inch thick and two inches wide, he fashioned angle brackets to elevate bulky furniture like sofas.
Positioned above head level, the angle brackets that are attached to his home’s metal window frames are removable and adjustable.
He has also fitted a series of shelves in his bedrooms, kitchen and living room.
His shelves and brackets double as a clothes rail or storage for light furniture.
“It takes me around an hour to get one shelf done.
“All in, I have spent about RM300 for shelves and brackets around the house,” he added.
The challenge, however, is raising bulky furniture onto the brackets as it takes five adults to lift the living room sofa.
“During the recent floods, there was only one man available. The rest were women,” said Borhan.
The DIY fittings have also eased his anxiety.
“My heart starts racing every time it rains. One obvious solution is to move.
“But this is my father’s land. I built this house, measuring 9m by 12m, for RM80,000.
“Where am I to find a house this size plus a garden for the same price?
“And I don’t like the thought of living in an apartment,” said Borhan.
“So, instead of losing my possessions during floods or having them damaged, I feel better knowing that I have done something to prevent that.
“My neighbours are also facing the same problem.
“As I have made the choice to stay, it is up to me to find my own solutions until the authorities can come up with a better flood mitigation plan for the village,” he added.
Preparing for future deluges
The realisation for the need to come up with these DIY innovations came as early as August last year after the village was inundated by floods in January and then April, revealed Kampung Giching village community management council secretary Azlee Ismail.
As floods occurred in September, October and most recently, December, more villagers, inspired by their neighbours’ handiwork, began to come up with ideas on how to prepare their homes for future deluges.
Inflatable mattresses for example, are now popular among the villagers.
Instead of rushing to save foam or spring mattresses which are difficult to be moved, the inflatable mattresses can just be left to float.
Inflatable pools have also become common items at the village as they can be used to carry and keep valuable items dry when victims move around in floodwaters.
Most households have taken to using plastic containers to store items as they are lightweight, waterproof and easy to move.
As to why it has taken this long for residents to come up with mitigation plans though floods have been occurring in Kampung Giching since 1978, Azlee explained that in the past, the water only reached ankle- or at worst, knee-level.
Most times, only the garden would be flooded. Even then, it happened only once or twice in a year.
The recent December floods were the worst, with some 120 houses in the village affected when water rose up to chest level.
“With more warnings of impending floods and the lack of confidence in our flood mitigation systems, villagers have decided they will not leave their fate entirely to chance,” said Azlee.
A 2012 study carried out by the Drainage and Irrigation Department revealed that 10.1% of the country’s total area was flood-prone.
Nearly 5.67 million people are affected by floods, leading to a loss of property exceeding RM1bil a year.
The National Flood Forecasting and Warning Programme was created following the massive floods which hit eight states, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak in December 2014.
Current alerts for rainfall and water levels at some 88 stations in 10 states can be accessed at https://bit.ly/31gmRRy
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