Klang Valley hit by floods (The Star)
Disediakan Oleh : SEKRETARIAT BIGBEN JKR
Tarikh Kemaskini : [ 00:00:00 ]
Jumlah Capaian: 10722
KUALA LUMPUR: Torrential rains caused massive flooding in various parts of the Klang Valley just as city folks were celebrating the third day of Hari Raya.
The 30-minute downpour caused flooding in five villages in Segambut with water levels rising to over 3m, affecting over 250 households.
Sri Hartamas Fire and Rescue Department chief Rodzlan Othman said some villagers in the more remote areas were also cut off after the waters rose rapidly.
Trying to ‘pool’ through: Motorists forced to go through flooded Jalan Segambut in Kuala Lumpur.
“We also have reports of a house that was swept away by strong currents from a nearby river. But to our knowledge, there has been no casualty or injury at this time,” he said, adding that 50 firemen were deployed to the flood-hit areas.
The affected villages were Kampung Segambut Dalam, Kampung Segambut Bahagia, Kampung Segambut Bahagia Tambahan, Kampung Pasir and Ladang Segambut.
Flash floods were also reported in Jalan Ipoh in Sentul and Klang.
The inundation was so severe that it damaged many of the high brick walls and steps built by the residents in Segambut to ward off flood waters.
Initial investigation, said Rodzlan, showed the flood could have been due to a poor drainage system, clogged by debris from nearby roadworks.
Resident Saleha Sulaiman, 60, said muddy waters began rising at around 3pm following the downpour, forcing her and her family to scramble to save their furniture and electrical items at their home.
Doing what they can: Villagers using pails to get rid of rainwater which inundated their home in Ladang Segambut.
“No more Raya for us. Thank goodness my grandchildren were with me,” she said.
Another villager Balan Navalingan, 61, saw flood waters gushing in from the south side of his house in Kampung Segambut Dalam from a nearby roadworks construction site.
“My family tried to save as much as we could but we were too late,” he said.
The floods, however, did not dampen the celebratory mood with many villagers seen helping each other to clean up the debris brought by the flood waters.
H.D. Shan, a resident from Kampung Kasipillay in Jalan Ipoh, said the water entered their homes some three hours after the rain began at 1.30pm. He blamed the flood on a bad drainage system.
A City Hall operations centre spokesman said it had sent officers to monitor the situation after receiving a call at about 4.30pm, adding, however, that none of the residents in Kampung Kasipillay was evacuated.
In KLANG, the floods affected those living in Batu Belah, Sungai Pinang and Klang Utara.
According to a Batu Belah resident, who requested anonymity, water seeped into his convenience store and destroyed goods worth more than RM800.
“It is just frustrating to see this sort of thing happening. I hope the Klang Municipal Council can do something,” he said.