THE number of people displaced by floods in Johor rose to 6,564 as of 8am today compared to 3,322 at 8pm yesterday.

State Disaster Management Committee chairman Azmi Rohani, in a statement today, said the increase involved residents of Kota Tinggi, Kluang and Johor Baru.

He said a total of 1,819 families have been evacuated to 51 relief centres in six districts to date. Kota Tinggi recorded the highest number of victims, totalling 2,964 people from 783 families sheltering at 24 relief centres; followed by Johor Baru (1,844 people from 504 families at 10 centres) and Kluang (1,633 victims from 500 families at 14 centres).

The remaining victims are at one relief centre in each of the following districts – Kulai (86 victims from 23 families), Segamat (20 people from five families) and Pontian (17 people from four families), he added.

Azmi, who is also Johor secretary, also said that based on data from the Drainage and Irrigation Department, six rivers in Johor recorded water at dangerous levels.

They are Sungai Johor in Rantau Panjang and Kota Tinggi, Sungai Linggiu in Linggiu, Sungai Kepala Orang in Kampung Sri Jaya and Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi, Sungai Kahang in Kampung Contoh, Kluang, as well as  Sungai Siam in Kampung Sungai Siam, Kulai.

Rain is forecast in Mersing and Tangkak, while the other districts are expected to be sunny.

Meanwhile, based on the latest report issued by the National Disaster Management Agency’s National Disaster Control Centre, the number of flood victims in Pahang also increased to 845 people from 221 families. They are being housed at 23 relief centres in three districts in the state, namely Maran, Pekan and Rompin, as of last midnight.

Rompin recorded the highest number of flood victims, totalling 360 people from 109 families, followed by Maran (261 victims from 58 families) and Pekan (224 victims from 54 families). – Bernama, January 8, 2024.