TUMPAT: A 100-year-old Muslim cemetery in Kampung Dalam Rhu, located in a low-lying area here, was badly damaged by floodwaters yesterday.
Villagers only realised it this morning when some of them spotted about 30 gravestones swept away by the flood.
The cemetery's committee member, Rosli Mohd Noor, said the incident was the second to have struck the cemetery since it was established many years ago.
"The first incident happened in 2017, which left about 100 graves damaged. Today's incident damaged some 30 graves and even broke several gravestones.
"Upon seeing this, I immediately called other committee members to help me cover the damaged graves with plastic sheets before informing the relevant authorities about the incident," he added.
The cemetery, located on a 1.6 hectare plot of land, is believed to have been in existence for about 100 years. It houses almost 8,000 graves.
Rosli said the villagers also promptly organised a gotong-royong to repair the graves as well as to collect the gravestones and place them back at their original places.
"We hope that the relevant authorities will look into this problem seriously. We do not want a repeat incident.
"The authorities need to construct a proper drainage system in this area so that floodwater can flow smoothly," Rosli said. - NST
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