His reason? He wants to guard his property from thieves taking advantage of the floods.

Othman Baba, 83, told Bernama he had been staying in the village for 17 years. He did not want to move to a temporary evacuation centre (PPS) despite being advised to do so.

He said he preferred to stay in a lorry parked nearby. The vehicle belongs to his two sons who run a tent rental business.

He said he could easily keep an eye on the tents and his belongings from the lorry.

He said he would go out to buy food at a shop nearby or wait for food aid to be sent by passing non-governmental organisations or volunteers.

Floods are nothing new for him. He said his house had been flooded four times since July last year because he lived in a low-lying area near a river.

“I built a large table inside the house to place furniture and electrical items but they were all submerged due to the unusually high water level this time,” he said.