BALING: At least 10 landslide locations have been identified on Bukit Lada Putih following the debris floods that devastated Kampung Teluk Rambung.
This was observed from an aerial survey conducted at the site today.
The landslides, which occurred on the slope of Bukit Lada Putih, are situated approximately a kilometre from the foothills.
Villagers claimed that the area was logged about 15 years ago.
Upon closer inspection, boulders, rocks, and uprooted logs can be seen along the landslide trails, which connect to rivers and streams flowing through the village.
Despite the destruction left by the debris floods on Sept 30 and the ongoing risk of further landslides, villagers express that they have nowhere else to go.
"This is our home. Our rubber estate and fruit orchards are here; they are our only source of income. Where else should we go?" said 71-year-old farmer Ismail Abdullah, who was at his 8.5-hectare pumpkin orchard at the foothills of Bukit Lada Putih.
Ismail is concerned about transporting his crop, set to be harvested in a month, after three steel bridges in the village were destroyed by the floods.
Although villagers and volunteers have constructed three temporary bridges using coconut logs, he worries they may not support the weight of a small lorry needed to transport his harvest.
Like Ismail, other villagers also rely on their estates and banana orchards for their livelihoods.
"They are perishable commodities; we can't keep them for long," he added.
Siti Halimah Mohd Sauberi, a mother of three, said that they had no choice but to use the temporary bridge to send her children to school.
"We know it's risky, but what else can we do? Children must go to school, and men still need to work. We have to make do with what we have until the government rebuilds the bridges," she said.
Another villager, Ramli Che Teh, 58, urged the authorities to consider constructing Bailey bridges as a safer temporary solution.
"We are worried about the safety of the coconut log bridges. We appeal to the authorities to build Bailey bridges for better stability," he said.
Bayu assemblyman Mohd Taufik Yaacob acknowledged the villagers' concerns.
"I was at the village during the debris floods on Sept 30 and coordinated the immediate relief aid. It was the first time the village experienced such flooding, and the damage was extensive," he said when contacted today.
Taufik said that about 40 per cent of the Bayu constituency in Baling was currently affected by the ongoing floods.
"We hope the government will allocate part of the RM10 million designated for post-flood repairs, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to the Bayu constituency, prioritising the repair of key infrastructure, including the three bridges in Kampung Teluk Rambung," he said.