Friday, Nov 02, 2012
MUAR, Malaysia- The Johor government has set aside RM500,000 (S$200,000) to assist flood victims in Batu Pahat.
State Women and Family Development, Welfare and Health Committee chairman Dr Robia Kosai said this was an initial allocation and would be increased in the event there were more evacuees.
She said the allocation would go to provide essentials such as rice, sugar, canned food and drinking water.
Each family would be provided with RM500 (S$200) worth of goods as well as blankets and mattresses.
Robia said there was no cause for alarm over floods hitting Batu Pahat as the situation was not serious and under control.
"Nevertheless, Johor is ready to face the worst," she said after closing the two-day state-level Welfare Departments' Al Quran recital and nasyid competition at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Maahad Muar in Jalan Junid here on Wednesday night.
Robia said the state government had identified 678 relief centres which were capable of accommodating 170,681 flood victims. It has also appointed 158 food suppliers for flood victims.
Sixty forward operating bases for flood relief work and 700 Welfare Department staff and volunteers are also on standby with boats.
Robia said the number of evacuees in Kampung Parit Gantong and Parit Sulong in Batu Pahat remained at 91 as of 11pm on Wednesday.
They were evacuated on Sunday night after floods hit their homes. They are currently at the flood relief centre at SK Seri Tiga Serangkai. This is the first flood evacuation centre to be opened in the state.
In Kuantan, the Kuantan Municipal Council (MPK) is monitoring several flood-prone areas in view of the monsoon season expected this month. They are Jalan Tun Ismail, Jalan Bukit Ubi and Jalan Wong Ah Jang, which were badly hit by floods last year.
MPK president Datuk Zulkifli Yaacob said besides looking into measures to tackle the floods, the council was also prepared to contribute manpower, equipment and transportation for flood victims.
He said the council's main focus was to ensure the drainage system in the town centre was not clogged as this could trigger flash floods.
In Klang, more than 200 houses in Kampung Baru Satu, Kampung SC, Kampung Sri Nadi and Kampung Johan Setia were flooded following more than six hours of rain on Wednesday evening.
This is the third time in the past three weeks that floods have affected these areas.
The situation was aggravated by the high tide which caused Sungai Klang to overflow.
Senator Ezam Mohd Nor, who visited the area at 1am yesterday, said he had sought help from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to use high-capacity water pumps to drain water from severely affected areas.
"Our main objective is to make sure all submerged roads are accessible because we do not want the villagers to be trapped inside their homes for more than 24 hours."
Some 100 villagers from Kampung SC and Kampung Baru Jalan Kebun, fed up over recurrent flooding, staged a demonstration urging Konsortium Expressway Shah Alam Selangor Sdn Bhd (Kesas) to take remedial action.
They want the highway concessionaire to take more proactive action to solve the flood problem.
They claimed that a poorly maintained waterway near the highway was the cause of frequent flash floods affecting the two villages.
Federal Village Security and Development Committee member Buang Abdul Basir said Kesas had failed to maintain the waterway over the past five years.
Kampung Baru Jalan Kebun residents association chairman Samad Basiran, 53, said he was disappointed with Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Kota Anggerik assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafiei and Pas' Kota Raja member of parliament Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud for not doing anything to help flood victims.
"They came to visit just to appease the villagers, but they have not done anything concrete to help us."
Dr Siti Mariah, however, said she was disappointed with the accusations. She said many factors contributed to the frequent flash floods, including the rainfall which had been heavier than normal.
Kesas corporate communications deputy director Abdul Rashid Rahman gave an assurance that immediate attention would be given to the villagers' complaints.
Kesas, he said, would be meeting DID officers to discuss the problem and find a solution.
