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GUA MUSANG: The Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) will organise a large-scale gotong-royong programme to clean-up the Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Kuala Koh soon.
Kelantan/Terengganu JAKOA director Hashim Alang Abdul Hamid said the gotong-royong will be held as soon as the settlement is no longer in the red zone and free of pneumonia infection.
He said his department had been organising various activities to restore the condition of the settlement so that it would be cleaner and stop the spread of the disease which had affected the Orang Asli, causing them to relocate.
“We are inviting the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other voluntary bodies to participate in the gotong-royong programme to clean-up the area and to create a clean and comfortable living environment for the Batek tribe people,” he said when contacted here today.
He added the gotong-royong programme involved 33 homes of the Batek tribe, including 16 houses built by JAKOA under the Housing Assistance Programme (PBR), 12 bamboo houses and five wooden houses.
He explained the programme is a step towards maintaining the cleanliness and health of those affected by the lung infection outbreak last month.
The outbreak has claimed 15 lives of the Batek people, including three-year-old boy Nasri Rosli who died at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital here yesterday, and infected 112 others from the same village who are still receiving treatment at the Aring 1 clinic, Chiku 3 Health Clinic and Gua Musang Hospital (HGM).
All patients are reportedly stable.
On the search for the graves of 12 Orang Asli Batek people in the jungle, Hashim Alang said he was informed that the operations had been suspended yesterday afternoon as all bodies have been found and sent to the HGM for post-mortem.
“We will wait for the results to find out the cause of the outbreak and the area to be cleared of the red zone status for us to take the next step,” he said.
He added his office will continue to monitor conditions in Kampung Kuala Koh so that the lives of the people are not disrupted and they do not have to relocate. — Bernama
