Over 50-year-old sampan family's 'saviour' during floods

BATU PAHAT, March 10 (Bernama) -- A family in Kampung Parit Lapis Bangas, Sri Medan, here, now relies on an over 50-year-old sampan or wooden boat  after their home was flooded.

Mohd Ehsan Suterisno, 38, said the sampan which has been kept in the backyard has now become his family's mode of transport after the area around his house was inundated by up to two metres of floodwaters since March 3.

He said the sampan, or sampan kolek as it is known locally, was made in the 1970s, and was previously used by his grandfather and father when their village was hit by floods.

“In the past, if floods hit our village, the water would only reach calf-deep levels and the roads were still accessible to heavy vehicles.

“But now this sampan has become our ‘saviour’ because floods have left roads leading to this area cut off and impassable for all vehicles,” he told Bernama when met at a relief centre at Masjid Jamek Kampung Parit Lapis Bangas, Sri Medan today.

Made of “merbau” hardwood, Mohd Ehsan said the sampan is now also used to transport essential goods to be sent to the relief centre where he and his family were relocated.

According to him, the centre, which was opened on March 2, has been cut off following the floods and can only be accessed by sampan or boat.

“The sampan will be used to bring aid or essential goods from the authorities, especially the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAIJ) and non-governmental organisations to the centre.

“I will take care of and keep this sampan as best as I can because it has served our family for generations and I will also tell my children to do likewise,” he said while hoping that such massive floods would not happen again in the future.

As of 8 am today, the State Disaster Management Committee reported that a total of 45,218 people were still taking shelter at 174 relief centres in the state, with Batu Pahat recording the highest number of evacuees at 38,134.

-- BERNAMA