The Malaysian Insight

THE monsoon is approaching the east coast of Malaysia. On Pulau Stelu, 30km from Gua Musang, Kelantan, the kampung appears gloomy and it drizzles all day. The villagers are prepared to face any possibility from the bad weather.

Four years ago, the strong current flowing down from Titiwangsa mountain ranges pushed along logs. The villagers say the logs floated along the river and piled at the bridge connecting both sides of Pulau Stelu.

As more logs and muddy water flowed down to the village, the bridge turned into a dam as the logs clogged at the bridge. Later, water started to overflow from Sg Nenggiri, submerging Pulau Stelu. Around 200 families took shelter at the village mosque, the highest point in the area.

It was around 10am on December 23, 2014, from the vantage point of the mosque that the kampung folk realised that the bridge used daily to get to their rubber holdings, orchards and school had cracked. At 2.30pm, the bridge built in the mid-1980s collapsed. 

The next year, Asrul Fikri Mahmud or better known as Yo stood guard at one end of the bridge to direct traffic across the bridge. The temporary bridge is only able to accommodate a single direction traffic.

Yo’s job is to ensure that vehicles from Gua Musang stop if there is an approaching vehicle from the other direction on the bridge.

At the other end of the bridge, another group of teenagers will give a signal if traffic is clear. Rain or shine, day or night, they are there to ensure the Gua Musang-Jelawang road is open and safe for the motorists. The youths of Pulau Stelu take turn to direct traffic at the bridge.

During the rainy season, the water level increases and submerges the temporary bridge for hours. Yo and his friends will stop any vehicle from crossing the bridge. Some motorists give them a tip as they cross over. – November 4, 2018.