Sungai Golok overflows, Tumpat residents move items to higher ground

TUMPAT: Over 3,000 people from 10 villages around the Tumpat district had to move their items to higher places after Sungai Golok overflowed its banks on Tuesday (Dec 26) night.

Che Rasmah Wan Senik, 40, of Kampung Kajang Sebidang, said she had to seek her employer's permission to return home earlier following concerns over the rising water level at her house.

"When I left home at 7am, the area near my house was not flooded yet.

"But, at 9am, my husband called to tell me that the garden in front of our home was flooded, and water had begun to seep into the house. I rushed home to store the important items for fear that the floodwater would continue to rise,” she said when met on Wednesday (Dec 27).

A Bernama survey found that among villages affected by the Sungai Golok overflow were Kampung Kajang Sebidang, Palas, Bendang Pak Yong, Kubang Sawa, Chenerong Siam and Kuala Jambu, which resulted in several locations being impassable to light vehicles.

As for Fatimah Mat Hassan, 47, she and her family had gone to town to get necessities after Kampung Kajang Sebidang began to be inundated.

"Since yesterday, the villagers have been making preparations, like moving our vehicles to higher ground, because our village was quickly flooded when Sungai Golok overflowed its banks.

"Right now, most residents travel to town by boat since our village looks like an island,” she said, adding that she has bought a week's supply of necessities.

Echoing her sentiments was 25-year-old Siti Amira Syafika Mazlan, who said she had to commute to the nearby market to look for food supplies due to the flood.

"Early this morning, I moved the car to a location in Kampung Teluk Jering, but the water continued to rise near the location, so I had to move the car to another village again.

"My house in Kampung Kajang Sebidang was also affected by floods, but the four of us are not moving away. Instead, we are putting up at my relative's house, which is built quite high,” she said. – Bernama