Orang Asli villagers struggle through Selangor flood with little help

Around 25 families were left stranded when floodwaters hit Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Melut in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to a villager, only known as Rohani, the floodwaters had only halfway receded as of Monday night and they are fearful that further rain will impact them even worse.

“It has been raining consistently and the latest round hit overnight on Sunday. It started around 1am and by 8am, everything was flooded,” she told Malaysiakini.

Rohani added that they had contacted the Fire and Rescue Department for assistance but they could do little but monitor the situation while water levels recede.

The village is located in the Sepang district of Selangor, some 5km south of Dengkil. It is home to Orang Asli from the Temuan community.

Rohani’s cousin is artist Shaq Koyok - who drew attention to the situation with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Shaq Koyok

“Big flood in Dengkil, Selangor. My cousin's home at the moment, no firefighter helping them.

“They said they only help those who live in the modern housing area, not in the indigenous village. The villagers have to wait for the water to go down, nothing else they can do,” claimed Shaq.

Rohani said that it was fortunate that no one was hurt when the floodwaters came overnight.

“Now the water levels have receded, we can use vehicles again, although the kindergartens and schools are still inaccessible,” she said.

Malaysiakini is contacting the Fire and Rescue Department for clarification on its policy.

Bernama reported that as of 8pm last night, there were six relief centres opened in the Sepang and Hulu Langat districts.

The number of flood evacuees stood at 547 from 144 families.

Eighty-seven of the victims are at the relief centres at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bangi and SK Semenyih in Hulu Langat, while 460 victims in Sepang are at Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Dato Ahmad Razali, Dewan Orang Ramai Jenderam Hilir, Dewan Orang Ramai Taman Gemilang and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dengkil. - Mkini