All gone: Some of the items that were damaged in the floods in Chaah. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
SEGAMAT: First, floodwater inundated his house, but now that the water has receded, Ng Wei Siang’s nightmare continues as he must find ways to clean his house as the taps are dry.
The 42-year-old said he has been using rainwater to clean his mud-filled house in Chaah as there has been no water since Wednesday.
“This is the worst flood I have ever seen, even worse than in 2006.
“We were unable to save any of our belongings as we did not expect the waters to rise that quickly. Everything was damaged in the flood.
“On top of that, there has also been no water in most parts of Chaah since Wednesday. This includes places that were not submerged by water,” he said at his house here in Taman Damai Jaya.
Ng started cleaning his house after the floodwater receded.
“My mother and I are now living at our relative’s house nearby. I come back for a couple of hours every day to clean the house.
“I have placed several buckets to collect rainwater. That’s the only water I have now to clean the house.
“I really hope to see water running through my taps again,” he added.
M. Vasanthidevi, 58, who is going through the same predicament, said that there is also no water at the temporary relief centre where she is seeking shelter.
“We are depending on mineral water at the relief centre to drink and clean ourselves. We need to be careful with how we use the water.
“Although the floodwater has receded completely at my house, I still can’t return home – it is just too dirty. We can only depend on rainwater to clean the house,” she said, hoping that the water supply will return soon.
Tan Tian Wet, 42, said he was grateful there were volunteers who are helping to clean the houses of those affected.
“My mother-in-law is living here on her own but thankfully, she was visiting me and my wife in Johor Baru when floods hit her house.
“We just got back to the house today and were shocked at the condition of the house.
“Thankfully, we have had several volunteers coming here to help us with the cleaning,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bekok assemblyman Tan Choong said the water supply is expected to resume today.
“One of the major pipelines in Chaah burst due to the floods, causing a cut in the water supply in several areas.
“The matter is being attended to by the relevant departments and I was informed that water is expected to be back by Saturday (today).
“In the meantime, volunteers have been going around to supply clean water to those affected.
“At least 90% of the people in Chaah were affected by the floods this time. In fact, the lower levels of four of the relief centres here were also submerged at one point,” he added.
