13 Months After Baling Floods Villagers Lament Stalled Recovery

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STATE POLLS | It has been 13 months since floods first devastated Kampung Iboi in Baling, Kedah.
While the federal and state governments mobilised aid in the immediate aftermath of the disaster which caught national attention, many problems remain unresolved, according to villagers.
Sitting on a chair on the porch of his house, looking at dark clouds hovering over Kampung Iboi, village head Nor Mohamad Che Hussain told Malaysiakini on Sunday that he has identified a list of lingering problems, with 85 percent of them left unresolved.
The 60-year-old voter in the Bayu state seat - clad in a kopiah (skull cap), blue striped shirt, and sarong - said among others, villagers’ livelihoods have yet to recover from the floods, and that they are at wit’s end to rebuild their lives.
“For example, 120 relung (34.47ha) of paddy fields here have been badly affected. The waterways to the paddy fields have been clogged by sand and the paddy fields are filled with sand.
“Meanwhile, other plantations like vegetables, rubber trees, durian trees and fruit orchards have all been destroyed. It would take years for some of these plants to grow,” he said.
Nor Mohamad - who is a BN supporter - pinned the blame for this on caretaker Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s administration.
Village head Nor Mohamad Che HussainThe massive floods last July claimed three lives, including an expectant mother, and displaced more than a thousand residents.
It also destroyed and washed away scores of homes as well as bridges, including one that connected Kampung Iboi to Kampung Masjid Iboi.
A Bailey bridge was built to replace it, but to this day, the temporary structure has not been replaced with a permanent one.
Nor Mohamad, whom the locals refer to as Pak Teh, said the Bailey bridge, which is made of metal, has also become a nuisance to those living near it due to the loud creaking sounds it makes as vehicles cross over it.
“Some of the elderly, who live near the bridge, have complained of losing sleep because of the noise.
“The state government has fixed two smaller bridges in the village but there has been no permanent replacement for the Bailey bridge,” he said.
‘Remove ruin, build permanent one’
Another villager Abdullah Sani Jaafar shared similar sentiments.
Taking Malaysiakini to the banks of Sungai Iboi after a tour of the village, the 65-year-old grass cutter was visibly upset as he pointed to a giant hunk of concrete debris embedded on the opposite side of the river.
It was the remnants of the old bridge which was destroyed by last year’s floods.
“It’s an eyesore. The authorities should take the initiative to remove the ruin and build a permanent one.
“It puzzles me why they just leave it there. It’s been over a year!”
Villager Abdullah Sani JaafarOn May 31, Baling District Officer Mohd Shahadan Abdullah was quoted as saying by New Straits Times that almost all public infrastructures damaged by the floods had been repaired.
However, he was reported as saying that the state was still waiting for the federal government to approve a budget to build a new permanent Bailey bridge.
Meanwhile, Kampung Iboi Community Water Supply chairperson Malik Arshad revealed that the water supply to the village has been murky since the flood.
Known to his fellow villagers as “Prof”, the soft-spoken trader said he’s the third generation in his family to be given the responsibility to manage the community’s water supply.
Kampung Iboi Community Water Supply chairperson Malik Arshad“Sometimes, when it rains, we have to wait at least a week for the water to not be as murky.
“This needs urgent attention, we cannot continue living like this,” the 60-year-old villager said.
Dealing with trauma
Beyond material problems, others are also still struggling with the psychological impact of last year’s floods.
Husni Abdullah was initially reluctant to speak to Malaysiakini when asked about his well-being since the deluge.
However, the 48-year-old contractor later opened up, revealing that the trauma is still fresh and very much part of his life now.
Contractor Husni Abdullah“I can’t possibly forget, there’s no way I can forget. It’s been etched in my mind as bad memories.
“Now, when it starts to get cloudy and if it rains more than two hours, I get scared and worried,” Husni said.
Like their village chief, those who aired their grievances to Malaysiakini said they were staunch BN supporters and will be voting BN on Saturday (Aug 12).
For Razak Che Ahmad, 63, there is also resentment against the Sanusi-led Perikatan Nasional state government, whom he accused of causing the floods in the first place.
Army veteran Razak Che Ahmad“They were the ones who ‘gave’ our logs away and allowed land clearing.
“If there were trees around, it could drag on the flood waters that were flowing at a fast speed,” the army veteran alleged.
A geological expert has posited that the forest clearing on Gunung Inas contributed to last year’s flooding of Kampung Iboi.
However, forest clearing has been carried out on the mountain since at least 2010.
Split in support
Meanwhile, Sanusi, on June 16, announced that a total of 17 families living in the danger zone by the river in Kampung Iboi would be relocated to a new settlement.
Caretaker Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md NorSanusi, who is also PN election director, was reported by Bernama as saying that the land acquisition process involving a cost of RM600,000, for the purpose of building houses in Kampung Bok Bak in Baling, has been completed.
Prior to that, 12 families, whose houses were destroyed in the floods, moved into their replacement homes built by the state government in Kedah Regional Development Authority (Keda) Kampung Sadek, about 7km away from Kampung Iboi.
During the campaigning period of the 15th general election (GE15) last year, Kampung Iboi villagers - including Nor Mohamad and Malik - expressed hope for a Baling MP who will find a permanent solution to the flood problems there.
The village’s namesake polling district, however, is quite evenly split in support between PN and BN.
GE15 data showed that 49.4 percent of voters in the polling district cast their ballots for PN, 46.5 percent for BN, 3.6 percent for Pakatan Harapan and 0.5 percent for GTA.
Overall voting in Bayu - the state constituency in which Kampung Iboi is - saw PN bag 57.3 percent of ballots at the Parliament level, followed by BN (35.2 percent), Harapan (7 percent), and Gerakan Tanah Air (0.6 percent).
For the Bayu state seat battle, BN’s Ishak Mat is in a straight fight with Mohd Taufik Yaacob from PN. The incumbent for Bayu Abd Nasir Idris was dropped from being PAS’ candidate in the state seat. - Mkini

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