Monsoon has yet to arrive but floods have already dawned the country
HURIN EIN
SHAH ALAM - The Northeast monsoon season has not even started and yet various locations have already been inundated with floodwater and of course, netizens have took it to social media in showing the real conditions of flood affecting their areas.
As of now, flash flood occurrences have been documented all over areas in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Kelantan, Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak.
Twitter user Vizzul captured the situation in KL near the World Trade Centre (WTC) showing the roads being submerged under murky flood waters.
“No need to go back to Kelantan to see the floods, in KL near WTC has also flooded,” he said.
Also in Dutamas, lawyer Siti Kasim posted a video where the sound of an announcement was given to warn the people that river levels have reached the danger limit.
In Selangor, netizens have started to feel restless upon seeing the water in Klang River nearly overflowing its banks. Twitter user Izmaaal showed a video captured this morning at 11.43 am of the fast waters of the river, which was said to be near his housing area.
He expressed his worry and prayed for no heavy rains to befall Klang so that the water level may recede to normal.
“If the water (of the Klang river) overflows, two to three areas will be affected like the previous flood. Let’s all pray for the best so there will be no heavy rains and the water will quickly recede,” he said.
Pekan Tanjung Karang in Selangor was also flooded due to the bursting of a water canal. A video by Twitter user DenciShahrizal showed a recording from the view of a motorcyclist carefully threading through the flooded streets.
Aside from the Klang River, the Langat River was also reported to have reached dangerous water levels.
Based on the official InfoBanjir portal, the reading of the Langat River has reached a dangerous level of 2.35 metres compared to its normal reading of 0.1 metres. Meanwhile, three areas so far were on alert status, namely Jetty Teluk Penyamun (Kuala Selangor), Pekan Beranang (Hulu Langat) and Kampung Rantau Panjang (Klang).
Other areas around Selangor like Kampung Salak Tinggi (Sepang), Kampung Melayu Subang (Petaling) and Batu 9 (Hulu Langat) each recorded reading at an alert level.
Bersatu supreme leadership council member Datuk Dr Rais Hussin also posted a video on Twitter showing floodings in Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) happening this morning at 9.42 am.
“For flood deniers @DrZahidHamidi ! Rakyat should rise against this guy and his party Umno/BN for forcing us to the GE15 during monsoon floods!” he said.
The floods have also undoubtedly greeted the doors of Johor, particularly in Kampung Paya Kenangan, Johor Bahru.
Muda deputy president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz posted on Twitter today in the early hours of 1.47 am that 17 flood victims have transferred to a relief centre (PPS) at SK Bukit Mutiara. She also said that flood emergency kits have been distributed to the victims.
“Thank you to all the members who are efficient in their work. May Allah ease the affairs of the victims,” she said.
On Oct 6, Amira spoke out on her TikTok channel against the government’s hastiness in proceeding with the 15th General Election (GE15) this year as illogical.
According to her, it did not make sense that the government was saying GE15 could be held because no flooding has occurred yet when in fact, various areas were already affected.
In the video, she showed the flooding situation in SK Kangkar Tebrau, Johor with floodwater nearly reaching the knee level.
“Election or no election, the most important thing is that we have to take care of the people first,” she said in the video.
In Tanah Merah, Kelantan more than 100 families residing in Kampung Padang Kijang took their own initiative to prepare boats and set up a specially made high shelf to keep safe of their belongings in case of flooding.
It was reported that the village was a flood hotspot and during the monsoon season, the people would often move around three to four times to PPS or to their relative’s house.
Flood waters in Tanah Merah have been reported to stretch for over 800 metres with a depth of two metres.
Baling, Kedah has yet again been the victim of flooding. On October 9, 2022, heavy rain caused a few areas to be affected by floods.
Some of the areas were Taman Bayu Sejahtera, Kampung Bendang Sera, Kampung Sungai Batu, Kampung Seberang Pekan, Kampung Lubuk Pedati, Kampung Belakang Masjid Baling and Taman Beluan.
On the same day, AthirahSezali on Twitter captured a video of floodwaters already flowing through the floors of her house in Baling, Kedah.
“Went back to my hometown and my hometown was already flooded,” she said.
The October 9 floodings in Baling were reported to have affected four areas affecting 81 families and 14 villages. The affected areas were Mukim Baling, Pulai, Siong and Kupang.
In the Borneo States, several areas in Sarawak had already been flooded like Bintulu, Samalaju, Sibu, Kapit, Batu Niah and Bekenu.
Based on the InfoBanjr portal, the people were informed to use alternative ways to head from Bintulu to Samalaju as the road had collapsed due to the flood.
Twitter account Sarawak_Aritok showed an aerial view of the devastating flood conditions at the Sibu Market.
Meanwhile on October 10, Muda Sarawak chairman Jeffrey Ngui on Twitter posted pictures of flooding in Kapit, Sarawak where the Kapit Terminal Express near Sungai Rejang, water levels have reached 14.5 metres exceeding the river bed.
In Kampung Baru Kapit, water has overflowed to the road at a water level of 0.9 metres and water has also overflowed in Kampung Muhibah Kapit onto the road at a water level of 0.3 metres.
He also said that water levels will continue to rise following heavy rain.
“The water level is rising and the rain is not stopping. The risk of major floods is very worrying in many states and more states are also at risk.
“The road leading to flooded-prone areas like Kapit to send help is not easy! What is the government's action?” he said.
Media Prima editor and journalist Mohd Redzuan Abdul Manap also have spoken out on Twitter that the coastal roads from Miri to Bintulu have flooded causing other areas like Batu Niah, Bekenu and Samalaju to be flooded as well.
Sabah was also affected during the October 10 floods as well.
A user on Twitter Shahrizal Denci posted a photo of the flood happening in Penampang.
“While they are busy with the election, Penampang is being hit by floods. They (the politicians) are like demons,” he said.
Another Penampang resident Adrian Lasimbang also shared a photo of the Penampang police station submerged under floodwaters.
“The Penampang police station was also flooded. Power-mongers will never care about the people,” he said.
It was reported that the Sabah Disaster Management Committee has prepared four PPS for flood victims. The October 10 flood in Sabah affected 11 families with over 142 victims.
In a statement released by the meteorological department MetMalaysia, the monsoon transition phase was supposed to start on October 3 and last until November 2022.
Its director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said during this transition phase, the region will face weak winds from various directions which may cause thunderstorms leading to short episodes of heavy rains and strong winds.
“This will usually happen in the evenings and the earlier parts of the nights in areas of the west coast and interiors of the peninsula, west Sabah and central Sarawak,” the statement said on September 29.
According to Helmi, flash floods could happen from such weather conditions which may also cause damage to some weak structures.
He urged Malaysians to always stay alert during this crucial period by following weather forecasts and warnings issued by MetMalaysia from its official website, social media or through the myCuaca mobile application.
For any inquiries, he said could be reached at MetMalaysia’s hotline at 1-300-22-1638.
