The New Paper 24 Apr 09;
FOR some Orang Asli (indigenous peoples) staying in the Sungai Skudai area, catching worms and selling them is a way of life.
But of late, villagers of Kampung Bakar Batu blame housing developments nearby for affecting the worm population, which is now running dry.
They blame the murky waters, caused by the developments, as having affected the harvest of 'pompom' - a type of worm found in the coastal mangrove forest there.
Mr John Bento, 32, told New Straits Times that there are at least 10 families who depend on selling worms for a living.
He said: 'Now, only my cousin and I are selling worms.
'However, we are selling another type of worm called 'wat-wat' which we get from the coastal mangrove forest at Teluk Jawa, some 20km away, and Stulang Laut.
'I have to drive there every day to dig worms with my cousin and children as the worms are no longer found in our village.'
Losing natural resources
Their worm-harvesting trip sees them leave their village in the early morning and return by noon.
Mr Bento said that, on a good day, they cart back about 2kg of worms.
They then clean the worms before selling them.
A small heap, he said, sells for about RM5($2).
Quality control is strict - they dispose of the unsold worms as he said these can't be kept for the next day.
He spends about RM10 per day on petrol.
The father of nine said: 'If business is bad, we will have less money to buy food.'
Cousin Sidah Tamat, 32, said many villagers in their kampung now face an uncertain future.
The reason?
Many natural resources in their area have disappeared as a result of the housing developments nearby.
She said: 'We see luxurious residential houses coming up one after another on the other side of the river.
'Over at our side, it is a pathetic sight. I hope the government can look into some of our problems.'
