Floods ruin Hari Raya for Segambut Dalam villagers

 

Hartini Partosmito at her house in Kampung Segambut Dalam which was hit by floods at a time when many are getting ready to celebrate Hari Raya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hartini Partosmito, 36, stares at the heap of wet clothes at her home in Kampung Segambut Dalam, wondering how she will repair her home that was damaged in a flood on Monday.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is just days away, but she has no time to think about the festivities at the moment.

“I’m not even thinking about Hari Raya preparations. I’m not even sure where are my children’s clothes. Everything was submerged,” she told FMT.

Making things worse is the fact that the floods also submerged her restaurant and damaged most of the electrical appliances inside.

“(Things like) the chiller, fridge, industrial rice cooker, water filter, blender, many things (are spoilt).

“I don’t even know if I can reopen my restaurant or not. I haven’t even cleared the place,” she said, adding she may only reopen for business after Hari Raya.

Her husband Andrika Susanto Sanusi, 31, said the floodwaters which came up to their neck, rose so fast that they could not save any of their belongings.

This, he said, included all the items they bought for the festivities. For now, the family is staying with Andrika’s mother.

With the floods happening at least once a year, Andrika Susanto Sanusi has invested in a high-pressure water jet to help clean up the house.

He said this was not the first time the area was hit by floods, adding it happens at least once a year.

Andrika, who works as a labourer, said he does not know why the area is so flood-prone and that the villagers’ only way to prepare for a flood was the nearby mosque’s flood warning siren.

Erwanis Abdul Rahman says she and her elderly husband cannot afford to move elsewhere.

Another resident, Erwanis Abdul Rahman, 51, also said her house was flooded every year. However, she and her elderly husband cannot afford to move elsewhere.

“To move, you need money for a deposit and rent, which would be more expensive than this place.” - FMT