Friday, December 14, 2007
CROCODILES are becoming a menace in flood-hit southern Malaysia, reports said, as the death toll from the floods rose to 13 and authorities struggled to cope with 33,000 evacuees.
The New Straits Times reported that some villages in Johor state, which lies next to Singapore, are living in fear of crocodiles which had been seen feasting on dead chickens dumped by poultry farms.
The death toll from the floods jumped from seven the day before, with new victims including a three-year-old Indonesian girl in central Pahang state whose body was found trapped under a tree trunk, the Bernama news agency said.
A 15-year-old boy also drowned in northern Kelantan state while playing in floodwaters in front of his house, the state agency said.
Officials said the number of flood victims forced to flee their homes rose to 18,492 in central Pahang state and 3,226 in Kelantan but eased to 11,402 in Johor.
Government agencies are now trying to overcome food shortage problems facing those sheltering in relief centres, the state news agency said.
"Our focus is on how to get aid to the flood victims," Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal said, urging traders not to profiteer by increasing the prices of goods in short supply.
Monsoon rains continued to pound the country, and a meteorological official said they had issued an orange warning, its second-highest alert, for parts of Pahang and Johor until today.
Last December, major floods in Johor left more than 110,000 people displaced in a disaster that caused at least RM1.5 billion ($652 million) in damages.
Pahang needs about RM13 million for long-term flood mitigation works, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.
The people should also do their part by not clogging rivers and drains with rubbish, he said Wednesday night.
Agencies
The New Straits Times reported that some villages in Johor state, which lies next to Singapore, are living in fear of crocodiles which had been seen feasting on dead chickens dumped by poultry farms.
The death toll from the floods jumped from seven the day before, with new victims including a three-year-old Indonesian girl in central Pahang state whose body was found trapped under a tree trunk, the Bernama news agency said.
A 15-year-old boy also drowned in northern Kelantan state while playing in floodwaters in front of his house, the state agency said.
Officials said the number of flood victims forced to flee their homes rose to 18,492 in central Pahang state and 3,226 in Kelantan but eased to 11,402 in Johor.
Government agencies are now trying to overcome food shortage problems facing those sheltering in relief centres, the state news agency said.
"Our focus is on how to get aid to the flood victims," Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal said, urging traders not to profiteer by increasing the prices of goods in short supply.
Monsoon rains continued to pound the country, and a meteorological official said they had issued an orange warning, its second-highest alert, for parts of Pahang and Johor until today.
Last December, major floods in Johor left more than 110,000 people displaced in a disaster that caused at least RM1.5 billion ($652 million) in damages.
Pahang needs about RM13 million for long-term flood mitigation works, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.
The people should also do their part by not clogging rivers and drains with rubbish, he said Wednesday night.
Agencies