Aid packages sent to Orang Asli in remote areas ahead of northeast monsoon

GUA MUSANG: Food aid baskets will be sent to Orang Asli communities in remote areas to brace them against the upcoming northeast monsoon.

Orang Asli Development Department director-general Datuk Sapiah Mohd Nor said each basket has essentials such as rice, vermicelli, cooking oil, wheat flour, sugar, milk and biscuits, which can sustain a household for up to a week.

“The Orang Asli community need not worry, as the department has set aside funds to assist communities affected by disasters or wildlife incidents.

“For a start, we have distributed food baskets to over 200 Orang Asli families in Pos Gob, who have been impacted by damaged roads due to heavy rainfall,” she told reporters after delivering food aid to the community in Pos Gob on Sunday night (Oct 27).

Sapiah said that each food basket is valued at RM120 per family, and the department is reviewing applications from residents in Kelantan and Pahang to ensure assistance reaches them before the monsoon begins.

“The department is also working with the Fire and Rescue Department to deliver food aid by helicopter to remote villages cut off by rainfall,” she added. – Bernama