Johoreans bracing themselves for flooding caused by monsoon rain

JOHOR BAHRU - As the

monsoon rain currently affecting Terengganu and Kelantan

shifts towards Johor, residents in the state are getting ready to face the deluge.

Living in a flood-prone area has given father of three Azmi Adan the much-needed experience in facing the natural disaster as he builds a platform to keep his electrical items on higher ground.

The 47-year-old, who works as a ride-hailing driver, lives with his family in Kampung Pasir near Tampoi where flood is an annual occurrence.

“During the monsoon, whenever it rains heavily for more than three hours, my house will be flooded,” he said on Wednesday.

“We have been living here for more than 10 years. In fact, my in-laws used to stay with us, but they moved out as they could no longer endure the yearly floods.”

Mr Azmi said he had built a platform inside the house to keep electrical items such as the refrigerator and furniture from getting damaged by floodwaters.

“I have also prepared bags of clothes as well as kept all important documents inside a plastic bag during the monsoon season,” he said. “We have to adapt. The safety of my family is the most important,” he said, adding that about two years ago, floodwaters that hit the village reached waist high.

Village chief Zaini Sinong said there were eight villages with a total of 1,188 houses in Kampung Pasir, situated along Sungai Skudai.

“If heavy rainfalls coincides with high tide, then Kampung Pasir will be the first to be flooded, followed by other nearby villages such as Kampung Seri Serdang and Kampung Pengkalan Rinting,” he said.

“There is a water pump located near a water gate in the village. We have four volunteers on standby to operate the water pump in case the Drainage and Irrigation Department cannot get their workers on time to switch it on.”

Mr Zaini said the authorities had gazetted a primary school, SK Pengkalan Rinting, as a temporary relief centre for the villagers.

Malaysia’s army has appointed commanders in each state to organise the movement of troops and assets to provide assistance during the flood season, said army chief Zamrose Mohd Zain.

“There is talk that a wave (of floods) will hit the south in states such as Johor and Melaka. So we are already on standby footing. We are ready as the first responder, but if more aid is needed, we will act,” he said.

Johor’s Fire and Rescue Department acting director Rizal Buang said his personnel are on high alert following the landslide in Batang Kali and floods hitting east coast states.

“Only 20 per cent out of our 1,501 officers and personnel can take leave, but they must be prepared to be recalled for duty at any time,” he said. “We are ready and all our assets have been inspected and are working properly to carry out rescue operations during the monsoon season.”

Mr Rizal reminded the public, especially those living in flood-prone areas, to always be prepared and immediately leave their houses once floodwaters rise.

“They must go to the nearest flood relief centre and ensure that all electrical appliances, including the main power switch, are turned off before leaving their home,” he added.

Mersing district officer Shakib Ali said a total of 31 relief centres have been identified and gazetted to provide temporary shelter to the flood victims. Some 24 high-risk areas had been identified in the east coast town in Johor.

“As a precautionary measure, the disaster operation control centre has been opened to monitor the situation closely,” he said.

“The centre will operate from 8am to 5pm until Dec 24 while from Dec 25 onwards, it will operate for 24 hours.”

He said tourism activities such as island hopping and hiking had been temporarily put on hold during the monsoon season.

“We urge the public to be on alert and take note of the warnings issued by the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) as well as the Drainage and Irrigation Department,” he said. “They should also abide by the order to vacate their homes immediately.”

Separately, a review of a flood mitigation project has saved the government at least RM1.8 billion (S$548 million), said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday.

“We want to ensure that any money spent by the government can be accounted for and that there will be no wastage,” he said, adding that costs had ballooned because it was awarded via direct negotiations and not open tenders.

Earlier in December, Datuk Seri Anwar said that RM7 billion that had been approved by the previous government for flood mitigation initiatives would be halted and reviewed.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK