Perak: Flash floods due to extraordinary rainfall - DID

IPOH - The recent flash floods in Perak were primarily due to the exceptionally heavy or extraordinary rainfall, said state Department of Drainage and Irrigation director Ahmad Shahrir Md Naziri.

He said DID found that some flood incidents were due to rainfall over 50 ARI (average recurrence interval), which is an exceptionally high reading for small rivers.

"In Perak, most of the flooding occurred in areas with relatively narrow rivers and their usual capacity could handle only about two to five ARI.

"So, we have implemented various methods to address this matter. For your information, we carried out flood preparedness programmes earlier which ran smoothly but it was somewhat surprising because floods occurred while the construction process was still underway,” he said at a media conference, here, today.

He stated that for any ongoing flood preparedness projects, instructions have been issued to expedite them.

Earlier, Ahmad Shahrir attended the state-level World Rivers Day celebration and the launching of Friends of Kinta River Basin (FOKiRB) by the state Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transportation Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

As of this morning, State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat in a statement said the number of flood victims rose to 38 people from 35 from eight families yesterday placed at the temporary relief centre in Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Changkat Lobak in Kerian district.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Nizar said FOKiRB, which was established last year, currently has 40 members from 17 community groups or local organisations in the vicinity of the Kinta River catchment area.

"The members have been empowered in the healthcare of Sungai Kinta, serving as the eyes and ears for government agencies and departments to monitor and report incidences of pollution,” he said.

Members of FOKiRB, community groups and Kinta district DID today received appreciation certificates and river monitoring kits to assist in carrying out river maintenance activities in their respective areas. - BERNAMA