There is a clothesline nearby and a heap of old tyres, indicating that people live there.
The crude structure, made of wood, corrugated zinc, and canvas is barely larger than a dog’s kennel, measuring some 1.8m by 2.5m only.
Within the structure is a raised platform with a door, opening into a room measuring about 1.8m by 1.2m with almost no space to manoeuvre.
That little room has been the home of 54-year-old Valarmathy Krishnamoorthy and her disabled son Titi Kumaran Muniandy for some three years now.
While it’s almost unthinkable that someone could actually live in a structure that miniscule, Valarmathy says she and her son have had to make do as they had nowhere else to go.
Her husband had abandoned them some 12 years ago and left with no money and no roof over their heads, the two moved into an abandoned house in Ayer Hitam, Puchong.
However, the house caught fire three years ago and the mother-and-son pair, afraid of being accused of causing the fire, fled the area immediately.
They finally came upon a wooded area away from prying eyes, where they decided to set up home among the foliage by building a tiny hut from odds and ends.
The raised platform, she said, was necessary because the odd snake would sometimes crawl into the hut. The pair bathed in a mining pond nearby and cooked food on a basic stove – three rocks and some firewood collected from nearby trees.
They also installed a drainpipe on their tiny dwelling to catch rain water to be used for washing.
“There were actually three of us,” says Valarmathy. “A foreigner used to live with us but she stole our pots and pans one day and ran off. We lost the little that we had.”
The pair was discovered only recently by the local council officers and some non-governmental organisations, including temple and mosque officials.
Together, they managed to secure a unit in a block of flats for the two and employment for both – Valarmathy is starting work today as a cleaner in a restaurant while Kumaran will be a security guard at a construction site nearby.
Both will also be placed under the Welfare Department’s aid programme which, along with their new salaries, should allow them to have enough to get by after paying the RM500 rent.
Yesterday, state exco man Borhan Aman Shah handed Valarmathy the keys to her unit, along with a stove, a food basket and other household items.
He also promised them both a “Peduli Sihat” card so they could receive free medical treatment. Kumaran was also given a bicycle to get to his new workplace.
Valarmathy said she was thankful for the help extended to her and pledged to work hard so she and her son could both enjoy a better quality of life. To her credit, despite her hardship, she has never resorted to begging.
“I would do odd-jobs anywhere I could, like carrying things for people moving homes, cleaning and painting. Both of us worked and people would pay us RM15 to RM20 and we would use that money to buy food,” she said.
The movement control order, however, drove her to her knees and with no odd-jobs available, the two were penniless and hungry.
As a last resort, she sought help from a mosque across the road, pleading for food. When people began to learn of their plight, they pitched in to help.
Sepang Welfare Department officer Saiful Akramin Abdullah said Valarmathy had actually been receiving welfare aid some years ago after her husband took off but the department had lost track of her when she fled after the fire.
“We will reinstate her welfare aid and help her son get welfare aid as well since he is a disabled person,” he said.