KUALA KRAI: The main land route linking some 400 residents of Kampung Pemberian here to the town centre has been severed since Monday after a 100-metre stretch of road in the village was flooded.
This situation has forced the villagers to seek help from neighbours with boats or to use an alternative 30km-long land route to cross Sungai Lebir to get to town, a journey which takes 45 minutes.
Villager Che Rasidi Mustapha, 54, who is on duty at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Pemberian relief centre, said it was difficult for villagers especially senior citizens to go to the hospital for treatment.
"Most of the villagers are elderly people who have diseases. It is tough to transport them by boat because after crossing the river we need to arrange for land transport to take them to the hospital. We hope an ambulance can wait on the other side of the river," he told Bernama here on Wednesday (Dec 27).
Another villager, Adnan Daud, 54, said the river level rose rapidly and burst its banks on Monday, forcing his family to evacuate to the relief centre at 8 pm.
"Villagers used boats to rescue our family of six in the dark. I was fearful because I have asthma and heart problems and anything could happen.
"Now, at the relief centre I could go to see a doctor if I fall sick,” said Adnan, who has been suffering from the two diseases since 2011.
A civil servant, who wants to be known only as Asri, hoped the authorities could upgrade the road as it was prone to flooding.
"It gets flooded each time there is heavy rain. Sometimes even big trucks cannot pass.
"I hope they can give serious attention to this problem because we have to use an unlit back road to go out whenever there is flooding,” he added.
As of 4pm today, 25 flood relief centres in Kuala Krai are housing 1,896 flood victims from 515 families. - Bernama
