Poor drainage system contributed to flood, Penang exco admits

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 5 Nov 2017 5:39PM · 3 Comments

THE DAP-led Penang government today has conceded that the floods currently affecting more than 100 areas in five districts in the state since yesterday is due to its poor drainage system.

State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow admitted that the existing drainage system could not accommodate the huge flow of water during heavy rain.

The extraordinarily heavy rain since 2pm yesterday, which coincided with the peak of the high tide phenomenon, also contributed to the flash floods, he told reporters today.

He said heavy rainfall was recorded, with the highest at Seberang Perai Utara, at 372mm, followed by Seberang Perai Tengah (327mm), Timur Laut (289mm), Barat Daya (237mm) and Seberang Perai Selatan (165mm).

Almost all of Penang island was hit flooded following yesterday’s heavy rain, he said, adding that there were 75 reports of falling trees and eight reports on landslides.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government did not have adequate resources, in terms of manpower and equipment, to handle the floods in Penang and thanked Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the assistance rendered.

Lim said he called the deputy prime minister at 3.30am and the latter immediately sent members of the Armed Forces to help.

However, Lim said the state government had no intention of declaring an emergency in the state because of the flood as the situation was still under control.

“We will work with the federal government to review the existing standard operating procedures (SOP) on handling of state disaster for a more effective coordination,” he added.

As at 2pm today, 51 evacuation centres have been opened in Penang to accommodate 2,861 flood victims in five districts. – Bernama, November 5, 2017.

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Comments

  • To say "Poor drainage system contributed to flood." just shows poor planning. If the government to which we entrust the stewardship of our island to insist on approving "development" that destroys the beauty covering it up with concrete, then you should also have planned the drainage system keeps abreast, not comment so after the fact.

    The hills of Penang is the physical and spiritual backbone of our island home. Anywhere you are on the island, you make a turn of 360 degrees, it will come into your sight. We have been chipping away at it. Figure out for yourself, why only recently is such flash floods happening.

    Posted 6 years ago by Kl neoh · Reply


  • "Not that I loved DAP less, but that I loved Penang more." ...

    Posted 6 years ago by Kl neoh · Reply

  • It is not "the extraordinarily heavy rain" that is to blame. I remember similar very heavy rainfalls (that went on for two or three days non-stop, with intermittent heavy downpours that lasted for hours in between) in the 1950's and there was no flooding like what happened yesterday. The real cause is the extraordinarily heavy volume of surface run off into small drains and narrowed and shallowed rivers . The run off is from larger and larger areas being covered with concrete and paved roads and more and more land clearing into the "undeveloped" areas including hill land. Worse will come with more "development".






    Posted 6 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply