TUMPAT: The stagnant flood water that occurred in several villages in Pengkalan Kubor has also affected the Safety and Development Road (Jalan Keselamatan dan Pembangunan or Jalan Kesban), which was previously the main route for residents along the banks of the Sungai Golok.
However, the construction of the embankment for the Sungai Golok Integrated River Basin Development Project along Jalan Kesban, which is still incomplete, caused it to become unusable.
Kampung Pulau Nibong villager Razali Isa, 64, said previously, residents freely used Jalan Kesban for commuting but have had to choose alternative routes since the construction of the embankment over a year ago.
"The road conditions are very bad, and only heavy vehicles can pass through, and even then, they have to drive very slowly.
"A day before the flood, residents rushed to relocate their vehicles through alternative routes to secure locations.
"In the past, several locations along the 14-kilometer Jalan Kesban were used as flood victim relocation sites, but not this time because it is involved in the construction of the incomplete embankment," he said.
In addition to the deteriorating road conditions, residents also claim that the slow recession of the flood water is due to the lack of outlets to Sungai Golok, which is blocked by the construction project.
Ariffin Awang Chik, 62, from Kampung Derdap, said at least three water gates need to be built to allow water to flow out simultaneously, reducing the duration of the stagnant water experienced by more than 10 affected villages.
"Complaints have often been made by residents, fearing that if a flood occurs, it will prolong the recession period, and what we feared has now happened.
"Although it has been almost a week since the flood, the recession of water is quite slow, and there are still houses where water has risen to 0.8 meters," he said.