Do we have to live in fear every time it rains?, Taman Sri Muda residents ask government
SHAH ALAM - Whenever it rains, Taman Sri Muda residents could not even get a wink of sleep as they fear that a massive flood like what happened in late last year would happen again.
Yesterday saw residents panicking again as heavy downpour caused flash floods in the area, here.
According to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, floodwaters began rising at 5.05pm and started receding at around 6.30pm.
A resident who only wanted to be known as Karrunarithi said he was unable to sleep last night as he worried that a major flood would happen again.
The 62-year old said although the situation yesterday was not as bad, he was still traumatised.
However, he said he was relieved to find out that the water have only risen to about two inches high outside his house.
“It rained heavily and the water have risen. It receded at around 8pm last night, and only then we were able to calm down.
“I was scared obviously because the massive floods only happened around eight months ago and it is possible for it recur,” he told Sinar Daily.
Karrunarithi said the government should do something about it as residents have nowhere else to move to if this kept happening.
Instead of providing financial aid, he said the government should make sure the river in the area was in good condition.
“If we have money, then we can move but since we don't, it just makes us mad.
“The government should make sure the river is clean, do not just give financial aid to the people because we can work and earn some money, but we want to live here for a long time and the river needs to be clean or else there might be more floods,” he said.
Meanwhile, another resident known as Nagentran who lived in Taman Sri Muda for more than 30 years said he did not want to move from the area despite being persuaded by his wife as he loved the place.
He also refused to comment on what the government could do to avoid the flash floods from happening again since it will just make him upset thinking about it.
Another resident, Annathurai shared that the residents were worried and afraid whenever it rained as the place was labeled as a flash flood spot.
The 54-year-old said the financial aid provided by the government during the previous flood incident was insufficient compared to the losses residents suffered from.
Hence, he said the government needed to make sure that such tragedy will not happen again this year.
Annathurai said yesterday, while he was making his way to his workshop, it started to rain and water have risen which made him panic.
“It was around 6pm and when the water rose, I was worried if there will be flood and I had to wait for a while for the rain to stop.
“I was scared but I had to brace myself. I drove home later,” he said.
Other residents also shared how scared they were when the floodwater rose to knee-deep levels.
They said they did not feel safe living in the area anymore and worried whenever there were heavy rains as they feared that they would be stuck inside the house due to rising floodwaters.
A resident, Leong, 37, said the government should take action and resolve the issue of the drainage system since waters could not go through the small drains which caused the floods.
“Many people were affected by the floods, how long do we need put up with this and live in fear every time it rains?,” he said.
In December, last year Taman Sri Muda was one of the worse areas hit by the massive floods in Shah Alam with 14,000 people being displaced in Selangor.
At least 25 people died in the floods with Taman Sri Muda accounting for the majority of the fatalities.
The massive floods that inundated the neighbourhood last year had caused residents to suffer loss of lives and property.
