Kelantan Villagers Innovate to Tackle Flood Challenges

Building Resilience

After enduring the annual floods caused by the monsoon season, residents in Kelantan are employing their creativity to ensure they can carry on with daily life as usual.

Elevated Walkway

A resident of Kampung Lubok Gong in Rantau Panjang here, whose home is located about 35m from Sungai Golok, built a special walkway that allows his family to walk from their house, situated in a lower area, to a higher roadway without wading through floodwaters.

Rosdi Abdullah, 62, said the elevated walkway, almost 2m high, was completed in mid-November after two weeks of construction, with help from his children and son-in-law.

“Every year since 2018, I’ve built this walkway for my family’s convenience and dismantled it after the floods receded. However, this year I plan to leave it intact and reinforce the base with concrete to make it sturdier for future flood seasons,” he told Bernama.

“The structure uses scaffolding poles as pillars, similar to those used in building construction, and wooden planks to create the walkway,” he added.

Mini Floating Raft

Another resident from Kampung Tersang, 42-year-old Mohd Hirwan Faizal Che Rajiuon, built a mini floating raft to safeguard his bird-rearing business from flood losses.

“Before the floods, I constructed a covered raft measuring over 2 sq m using barrels, metal and wood to house more than 30 birds, including species like merbok and merbah jambul, valued at approximately RM10,000,” he explained.

“The platform saved all the birds. When the water levels rose, my family and I relocated to a temporary relief centre, leaving the birds in their cages on the raft,” he said.

On regular days, he said, the birds are housed in a hut in front of his house. “If they had been left there during the floods, they would not have survived,” he added.

Conclusion

The innovative solutions implemented by Rosdi and Mohd Hirwan demonstrate the resourcefulness and resilience of Kelantan villagers in the face of recurring flood challenges. As the frequency and severity of floods continue to escalate, it is essential for communities to work together to find creative solutions to mitigate the impact of these natural disasters.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: What is the purpose of the elevated walkway built by Rosdi Abdullah?

  A: The walkway allows Rosdi’s family to walk from their house to a higher roadway without wading through floodwaters.

• Q: What is the mini floating raft built by Mohd Hirwan Faizal Che Rajiuon used for?

  A: The raft is used to safeguard Mohd Hirwan’s bird-rearing business from flood losses by housing his birds during flood events.

• Q: How many birds were saved by Mohd Hirwan’s mini floating raft?

  A: Over 30 birds, including species like merbok and merbah jambul, were saved by Mohd Hirwan’s mini floating raft.