A Farmer in Kelantan Uses 20,000 Pieces of Old Clothes to Control Soil Erosion Behind His House

The Northeast monsoon season is fast approaching and all hands are on deck to make sure that the impact of the coming floods are is reduced as much as possible.

In Tumpat, Kelantan, a farmer is using an unconventional material to build a temporary erosion control barrier behind his house in Kampung Kok Keli 2.

For the past four months, Ismail Ibrahim, 38, used about 20,000 pieces of used clothing to build a barrier that would reduce the erosion of the concrete bank should heavy rain and floods hit his village again.

According to Kosmo!, he took the initiative after a shed he built last year for villagers to gather at and study the Quran collapsed last June due to soil erosion.

A concrete alternative: fabric

“I got the idea to use old clothes to build the barrier after discovering that the texture of the fabric would allow them to be compressed into the ground when exposed to river overflow from Sungai Selehong in the event of heavy rain.”

He said he got the used clothing from two bundle shops in Kampung Morak and Wakaf Bharu for free.

“I only paid for the shipping cost.”

He also shared that he previously used discarded tyres to build a barrier before deciding to give old clothes a try.

Waiting for a 60-metre embankment

According to Ismail, he had previously made a concrete bank to support the area of ​​land. Consequently, he used RM30,000 worth of savings to build a shed on the enforced land for villagers to come and study the Qur’an.

However, the bank collapsed when the soil eroded during heavy rains a few months ago.

“This barrier is to be used temporarily before the monsoon season hits.”

“I felt grateful when the government through JPS (Irrigation and Drainage Department) approved a project for the construction of a 60-meter embankment behind the house,” he said.

He said that construction work on the embankment had started last Sunday and is expected to be completed in the near future.

He said, the construction of the embankment can prevent his house from collapsing if there is an overflow of river water due to heavy rain.

Hopefully the embankment project can be completed in time.

Also read: Selangor State Govt Plans to Deepen Klang River by 2-3 Metres From Nov 1 to Lower Risk of Flooding