Beating the flood Mohd Sulong, 73, posing with a floating animal pen he made outside his home at Kampung Pengkalan Ajal in Hulu Terengganu. Fed up with seeing his livestock swept away by floods, the senior constructed the unique pen out of wood with floats made from large barrels. — Bernama
KUALA BERANG: Fed up after seeing his livestock swept away by floods, a senior citizen decided to take matters into his own hands and built a floating pen to house his animals and prevent further losses from the impending northeast monsoon.
Mohd Sulong, 73, said his bitter experience of losing thousands of ringgit after his livestock was swept away in a flood made him, despite his ill health, decide to build a pen on a raft.
Mohd said he spent RM500 building the raft pen using wood as well as floats made from large barrels.
"The pen can accommodate about 150 chickens and ducks. I built the pen myself, without any help, to save costs,” he said when met at his home in Kampung Pengkalan Ajal, Ajil, here yesterday.
"It took four months to complete because I was often unwell after suffering a stroke earlier this year. I did it a little by little ... but racing against time too, as I was worried a flood may suddenly hit."
Mohd said that apart from the raft pen, he also built floating racks made of bamboo inside his house to store electrical appliances such as the washing machine and refrigerator, Bernama reported.
He added that every year, chest-high water would flood his house, damaging numerous items.
"There are floods at least twice a year. Usually, this happens at the beginning and end of the monsoon. Previously, I built a platform inside the house, but sometimes the water would rise higher, causing damage to my belongings,” said Mohd, who lives there with his wife.
"I hope that this time the important items will be safe. I can't go on having to repair or replace broken electrical items every year.”
He also said some residents were building storage rafts outside their homes in preparation for the floods.
However, he is unable to construct such storage due to its high cost.
Previously, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecast that the northeast monsoon season is expected to begin tomorrow and continue until March next year, with five to seven episodes of heavy rain expected to occur during this period, including in Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah.
