JOHOR BARU, March 4 – Residents living next to water bodies or rivers in several states need to be vigilant as there is a possibility of another wave of floods, warns the Fire and Rescue Department.
Its deputy director-general (operations) Datuk Edwin Galan Teruki said that based on reports from the Meteorological Department, rain was expected to continue in several states nationwide until Monday.
Its latest report said continuous rainfall was expected in some parts of the peninsula and in west and central Sarawak.
High tide is also expected in several states including Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu and Johor.
“We are closely monitoring some 4,795 flood hotspots nationwide,” he said, adding that most of these hotspots were next to rivers, lakes and ponds.
He said Sarawak had the most number of hotspots with 1,034, followed by Kelantan (595), Pahang (554), Sabah (520) and Johor (432).
“People living next to water bodies need to be prepared to evacuate on short notice,” he told The Star.
He added that the department had already deployed boats and heavy vehicles to fire stations near these hotspots.
“We have also put our air wing on alert to help in areas cut off and to monitor hotspot areas,” he added.
Edwin said the number of flood victims continued to rise with almost 36,0000 people evacuated to about 260 relief centres nationwide.
He said Johor continued to be the worst hit with more than 32,000 victims followed by Pahang (1,844), Negri Sembilan (1,061), Melaka (99) and Sarawak (43).
“The situation in Sabah has returned to normal,” he said.
So far, three deaths have been reported, all in Johor.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) campus sustainability director Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Fadhil Md Din said Johor would continue to receive an abnormal amount of rainfall due to the northeast monsoon, resulting in Johor experiencing floods in various locations.
The monsoon season has brought an average of more than 200mm of rainfall per day in Johor.
“Normally, we receive an average of between 1,900mm and 2,000mm per year or about 100mm of rainfall a day. But we are now experiencing more than 200mm of rainfall per day. This means that the intensity of rainfall now is heavier due to the current monsoon season,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Prof Mohd Fadhil added that such weather pattern was likely to continue and there would be more rainfall in the coming weeks this month.
“The heavy rainfall will continue until the end of March due to a transition from the northeast monsoon and April is expected to be a hot period,” he said.
On the flood situation, he said proper action should be taken by the authorities early to minimise the impact of floods.
He added that local councils should have taken heed of the weather report from the Meteorological Department.
“If we look at the floods in rural areas such as Chaah in Segamat, most of the houses were flooded after the nearby river burst its banks,” Prof Mohd Fadhil said.
“Rivers, especially those that are shallow, should be deepened and widened to ensure proper drainage in flood-prone areas.”
