GUA MUSANG: The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department has begun airlifting more than 17 tonnes of essential food supplies to remote Orang Asli communities cut off from land access due to severely damaged and muddy roads following the Northeast Monsoon.
Air Operations Division (Operations Management) Senior Supt Mohd Ruzaidi Ramlee said the four-day operation is being carried out using an Mi-17-IV helicopter, with 22 flight crew members, to several Orang Asli settlements, including Pos Gob, Pos Simpor, Pos Belatim, Pos Bihai and Pos Balar.
"On the first day, 203 food baskets weighing 1.8kg each were delivered to Kampung Tendrik in Pos Bihai.
"However, due to cloudy weather conditions, only 3.6 tonnes of supplies were delivered to one location on Tuesday (Jan 6),” he told reporters at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Gua Musang field.
Kampung Tendrik Orang Asli Development and Security Committee chairman Apek Asud said the Northeast Monsoon had disrupted travel for residents in the interior, preventing them from travelling to town to obtain food supplies.
He expressed appreciation to the Madani Government for its assistance to the affected Orang Asli communities.
"The food baskets received today have helped ease the burden on residents, who are currently relying on small-scale farming as their source of food.
"We have to wait for weather conditions to fully improve so that the access roads can dry out and become passable for all types of vehicles,” he said. — Bernama
