RANTAU PANJANG: For the past two days, 62 villagers taking shelter at a house in Kampung Tasek Bakong here have been boiling floodwater for their daily consumption.
The villagers claimed they were left to endure such a predicament after their supply of clean water had been cut off due to the floods that hit their village.
They said all the roads leading to and exiting their village had been inundated.
Muzipah Che Muda, 54, said after running out of clean drinking water and with no aid reaching them, she and her family decided to boil the floodwater for drinking.
Muzipah said they had no choice because many of the children and the elderly were thirsty.
"In fact, we also use the boiled floodwater for cooking. We are hoping that the relevant authorities will us send much needed aid, especially clean drinking water.
"We know that this area that we live in is difficult to access. Therefore, for the time being, we use what we have despite the obvious limitations and risk in drinking floodwater, even though it has been boiled.
"For now, all of us here have gathered at one of our neighbours' house, which is not inundated," she said today.
Another flood victim, Mohd Yatin Mat Yaacob, 46, said due to limited space in the house, the men had to sleep in the cars parked in areas that were not inundated.
"We did not go to the flood evacuation centre because the nearest one was already packed.
"Even though floodwaters have ravaged some of our homes, we are grateful that we are still okay and have a place to seek shelter."
Yatin said they had to use a generator, especially to charge their mobile phones and devices because there had been no electricity supply since the floods hit their area.