ABOUT 200 homes have suffered damage by the flashfloods which hit in Kampung Tanjong Maya, Tutong in the past few days. More than 1,000 residents belonging to three affected villages in the mukim have been displaced and moved to safer areas as their homes were declared "unsafe".

According to reports received by the active response team formed under the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), some 87 houses in Kg Tanjong Maya have been damaged by the floods, while 46 and 53 homes in Kg Penapar and Kg Lubok Pulau respectively.

Residents had no choice but to leave the place. Displaced people have been put up in two temporary shelters, namely the Tanjong Maya religious hall and Tanjong Maya cooperative store hall.

With assistance from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, food rations were also transported to Tanjong Maya, where Fire and Rescue personnel, village heads and volunteers helped in distribution. Some 2,700 rations of food are being distributed daily to the affected residents of the three villages.

Pg Hj Abd Harris Pg Hj Shahbudin, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, was among those present yesterday to oversee the relief operations in Mukim Tanjong Maya. Medical officers from the Ministry of Health were also on hand to offer assistance and treatment to residents who were complaining of fever, dizziness and cough. Residents suffering from ailment have been given top priority by the relief agencies. In an interview with state broadcaster RTB, Ripas hospital officers said that they were offering whatever assistance they could at the moment and added that they will increase their efforts once more medical supplies are dispatched to the affected area.

In Belait, floodwaters have cut off communications, isolating remote areas in the district, forcing a number of schools to shut down and inundating several agricultural plantations, causing damage to crops. At the weekend open market in Kuala Belait, fruits and vegetables on sale were noticeably less than usual. Most of the produce sold at the market are from farms in Kg Labi.

Late last night, Belait's flood operations centre reported that floodwaters in low-lying areas in Mukim Labi have not receded while in other areas of the district, water level was still rising. Many residents have sought shelter at the homes of their relatives, waiting for the floods to recede. Parts of Mukim Labi have been rendered inaccessible to vehicles as roads are still flooded, making travel by boat as the only mode of transport in the area.

In Courtesy of The Brunei Times