Putu halba laris dalam musim tengkujuh

Zizah Awang melayan dua pengunjung yang mahu membeli putu halba di gerainya di Kampung Berangan Apam, Pasir Mas, Kelantan, semalam.

PASIR MAS 12 Dis. - Ketibaan musim hujan memberi rezeki 'segera' kepada sebahagian penduduk di negeri ini.

Dengan ketibaan musim itu, ramai yang memilih untuk menjual sejenis kuih tradisional iaitu putu halba yang dibuat daripada ubi kayu.

Kuih tersebut dikukus di gerai-gerai sementara di sepanjang jalan-jalan utama bagi memudahkan orang ramai membeli kuih berkenaan.

Sambutan yang diberikan sungguh menggalakkan sehingga ada peniaga yang mampu memperoleh pendapatan RM100 sehari.

Perkara itu diakui oleh seorang suri rumah, Zizah Awang, 55, dari Kampung Berangan Apam di sini yang melahirkan rasa syukur kerana ketibaan musim hujan memberikannya peluang berniaga putu halba.

"Sejak minggu lalu, saya mula berniaga putu halba itu dan pendapatan yang diperoleh agak lumayan.

"Walaupun harga ubi kayu meningkat daripada RM2 ke RM4 sekilogram (kg), saya tetap menjual putu halba pada harga lama iaitu RM2 untuk lima ketul," katanya yang ditemui di sini hari ini.

Sementara itu, Zizah berkata, dia perlu mendapatkan kira-kira 30kg ubi kayu setiap hari untuk diproses menjadi serbuk sebelum dikukus sebagai putu halba.

Jelasnya, hasil jualan putu halba yang dimakan dengan gula melaka dan kelapa parut itu mampu menampung perbelanjaan harian keluarganya.

"Saya menjual air kelapa dan tuak sebelum ini tetapi terpaksa berhenti kerana minuman kurang laris semasa musim hujan tetapi putu halba pula laris dijual pada waktu sebegini," katanya.

Kelantan floods still bad

FLOODWATERS NOT RECEDING: 2,360 evacuated in Kelantan while situation in Terengganu improves

KUALA LUMPUR: The flood situation in Kelantan remained grim while the situation improved in Terengganu yesterday.

As of 5pm, the total number of evacuees in Kelantan increased to 2,358 people who were evacuated to 20 relief centres.

Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang was still above its nine-metre danger mark and stood at 10.2 metres while water levels at other flood assessment points were below the danger mark.

"The weather is clear today (yesterday), but floodwaters in many villages had yet to recede."

The spokesman said the number of districts affected by floodwaters had dropped to three compared with seven on Wednesday.

Four roads in the state remained closed to traffic -- Jalan Pasir Mas-Pohon Tanjung, Jalan Tanah Merah-Kampung Ipoh, Jalan Cabang Empat-Meranti and Km24 Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang highway.

State education director Hussin Awang said the department had yet to decide whether to reopen the 33 schools which were closed due to flood waters.

"We will wait until Saturday before giving a statement.

"If there is no rain, most probably all the 33 schools will be reopened and more than 10,000 students will resume classes."

In Kuala Terengganu, the overall flood situation in the state improved and saw the number of victims at evacuation centres drop from 3,500 on Wednesday to 338 people yesterday.

Only 258 people from 62 families are still in seven flood evacuation centres in Besut, while in Setiu, the two flood evacuation centres in Surau Kampung Banggol and Surau Kampung Nyatoh housed the remaining 80 people. The sunny weather yesterday was also a big relief for affected families who were allowed to return home after three consecutive days of heavy rain.

Village Development and Security committee (JKKK) members in Hulu Besut were directed to monitor the 250 flood victims who returned home yesterday to ensure that they had sufficient food and other essentials in their homes.

Hulu Besut assemblyman Nawi Mohammad said committee members would send sundry items to homes which lacked essentials due to the floods.

State Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Human Resources Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman said 14 schools in Besut and eight in Hulu Terengganu re-opened yesterday.

He said three schools in Setiu remained closed and will re-open on Sunday.

In Perak, 95 evacuees from 31 families in Kampung Padang Serai are the last remaining flood victims in the state.

A spokesman for the Perak Civil Defence Department said the victims evacuated on Monday spent their fourth night yesterday at the relief centre in Sekolah Agama Rakyat Padang Serai. Continuous rain kept the houses in Kampung Padang Serai still submerged in flood waters which stood at 0.63 metres. 

Villagers in Bendang Pak Yong, Kelantan, using a boat to get to higher ground. Pic by Syamsi Suhaimi.

Housing woes an issue in Kelantan

Both BN and Pakatan candidates up the ante and blame each other for the lack of affordable housing in the state.





 KOTA BHARU: It is the joint responsibility of the federal and state governments to provide affordable housing in the country, said a PAS leader here.

PAS deputy secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, said it will be unfair to pin the blame on just one party if affordable housing does not become a reality.

An understanding was sealed with the state governments, where the federal side will provide technical expertise and funds, while the state provides land to build the houses.

In Kelantan, the federal side were not involved in any housing projects for over two decades probably because of the political differences between both sides.

Takiyuddin, who is taking on Najib Tun Razak’s politicial secretary Mohd Fatmi Che Salleh for the Kota Baru parliament seat, was rebutting claims of neglect by the state government.

State Umno Youth head Anuar Safian, who is contesting the Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat, said that the shortage of affordable homes is one of the major issues in this election.

Anuar said many are struggling to purchase homes as property prices keep soaring, particularly the landed ones, owing to the lack of effort by certain state governments.

“Some governments are only interested in the political mileage they may gain rather than helping the poor and middle income group to get affordable housing,” alleged Anuar.

First time voters may be kingmakers

With just four days to go before official voting commences, BN big guns Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin will be in the state today and tomorrow.

They are hoping that after 22 years, BN may finally be able to wrest the state from PAS.

However, a political observer Mokhtar Hussein, who is also a blogger, said the so-called winds of change is merely a breeze now.

Despite the slow pace of development and the lethargic performance of the PAS-led state government, the folk here seem content with their lives, said Mokhtar.

Kelantan PAS is also said to be in a transitional stage as its longest serving mentri besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, 82, is likely to step aside after two decades at the helm.

This has created an uneasy situation over who is the ideal candidate to fill the shoes of the iconic leader and Mokhtar said a clearer picture may emerge soon.

He estimated that about 100,000 outstation voters will return home to Kelantan to vote, and as in the previous two elections, will play a pivotal role in the outcome.

Mokhtar also pointed out the high presence of the youngster who are first time voters may also be the kingmakers this time around.

“But based on our evaluation, no one side will emerge a big winner in Kelantan. It is too close a call to make,” he said.

Kelantan government urged to resolve environmental problem immediately

MACHANG: An action committee has urged the Kelantan government to immediately resolve what it claims to be the state's worsening environmental problem which has reduced water supply to the extent of causing padi farmers to forgo planting the crop.

The Action Committee on Caring for Rivers, Beaches and the Environment (MSPKAS) claimed that numerous padi-growing areas in the Kemubu Agricultural Development Area (Kada) were without adequate water supply for padi cultivation.

Its chairman, Mohd Noor Ibrahim, said many of the padi farmers had suffered losses as they were unable to produce any yield this year.

“This is due to the failure of the relevant authorities to undertake environmental conservation in the face of unplanned land clearing and development in Hulu Kelantan,” he said during a visit to Kada's main pump irrigation centre, Tuesday.

Recently, Kada chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa reportedly said that about 10,000 farmers had suffered losses to the tune of RM150mil following a decline in padi yield by up to 120,000 tonnes in this year's planting season, arising from a shortage of water in the Kelantan River due to drought.

Mohd Noor said the committee would send a memorandum to the Kelantan government and other authorities seeking immediate action to resolve the problem.

He also said that the committee was conducting an environmental awareness campaign in the state with the cooperation of federal government agencies.

The campaign had the support of the Kelantan Federal Development Department, he said, adding that it had provided an allocation to fund the programme.

“The campaign is directed at students, parents and the local community, particularly those living close to rivers,” he said. - Bernama Related Stories: PAS should stop ignoring logging impact in Kedah and Kelantan, says MCA Kelantan govt received RM5.3bil from federal govt Govt giving away RM1.6mil in free bus tickets to Kelantan poor people.

Kelantan stations run out of diesel

KOTA BHARU: Many diesel-powered vehicle owners were fuming yesterday after fuel ran out at some service stations in Kelantan.

It is believed that the service stations had depleted this month's diesel supply, which is determined by a quota set by petroleum companies.

Four-wheel-drive vehicle owner Wira Arjuna Mohamad, 32, from Wakaf Baru in Tumpat, said he had been finding it hard to re-fill his vehicle for the past several weeks.

"I went to several service stations in Wakaf Baru and here this morning but they had run out of fuel. I am lucky that this station still has some supply.

"I hope the authorities will take action to overcome the problem. Otherwise, we have to spend a lot of time looking for a station with diesel," he said at a station in Pasir Pekan, Tumpat.

A fuel pump operator, who declined to be named, said the problem started when stations began selling out their diesel quota for the month.

"I get 75,000 litres a month but it has not been raised, despite increasing customer volume when the second Sultan Yahya Petra bridge nearby was partially opened for traffic.

"I had no choice but to impose a RM100 limit for each vehicle. Some stations allow only RM50 worth of diesel per vehicle but we are not so strict as we still have supply."

State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement division director Sharuddin Jali said action was being taken to overcome the problem.

"We have asked petroleum companies to increase their supply since Sunday and the issue should have been solved by 8am (yesterday). Maybe they had difficulties transporting fuel to the stations in time.

"The problem only hits certain stations at popular locations and involves about 20 per cent of stations in Kelantan."

Sharuddin said the problem was brought about by increased movement of lorries transporting goods to the state for Hari Raya and more frequent trips by express buses.

Diesel-powered vehicle owners in Kelantan were shocked to find many stations in Kelantan yesterday out of fuel.

Water Problem In Kelantan getting worse

KOTA BHARU: The water problem in Kelantan is getting more acute with residents complaining of dry taps.

They blame the situation on poor management by the Kelantan government.

In the Kota Baru district, the affected areas include Kampung Kubang Palas, Kampung Mentera, Kampung Kubur Datu, Kampung Bechah, Kampung Tambak, Kampung Terap, Kampung Alor Pinang, Kampung Sungai and Kampung Nangka.

Residents in these areas complained that they had not been getting clean water supply from Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB), the state's water concessionaire, for several years.

"If there is, which is rare, we have to stay up late at night to gather water from the tap into large containers and then use it sparingly," said Abdullah Abdul Rahman, 59.

He said AKSB did not send water supply to the villagers when the taps went dry.

"We have to look for water supply on our own, but at the end of the month we still have to pay the water bill," he added.

Another villager, Jali Ani, 57, from Kampung Terap, said it was a problem when villagers were to host feasts, like wedding or thanksgiving feasts, at home.

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