Malaysia: Kelantan floods worsen as river overflows

Straits Times 18 Dec 07;
Golok River on Thai-Malaysian border also causes chaos in Thai province of Narathiwat

KUALA LUMPUR - FLOODS in north-eastern Malaysia worsened yesterday after a river bordering Thailand burst its banks, as the country's death toll from annual monsoon flooding rose to 25.

The water level at the Golok River - which marks the boundary between Malaysia and Thailand - has surged past the danger mark, police official Ariffin Ahmad said at Kelantan's relief coordination centre.

In Thailand, officials at the southern province of Narathiwat said that run-off from heavy rain over hilly areas near the border caused flooding in the Golok River.

Heavy rain at the weekend caused other rivers in Kelantan to swell, inundating surrounding towns and villages and cutting off road and rail access in many areas, Mr Ariffin said.

The floods have claimed 25 lives in the past two weeks in Kelantan and two other eastern states that experience widespread thunderstorms during the monsoon season between November and February, said an official at the Malaysian Control Centre, which coordinates flood operations nationwide.

At least one other person was missing in Kelantan, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

More than 33,000 people in the three states were sheltering in town halls, schools and community centres on high ground, he said.

The authorities have forecast a high tide phenomenon on Dec 21, which could aggravate floods in coastal areas. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday that police and military personnel were on standby to cope with further floods.

Datuk Seri Najib, who chairs the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, said he would be in Kelantan tomorrow to visit flood victims and survey the affected areas.

The official Bernama news agency reported that among the latest victims was a six-year-old girl who fell into floodwaters while playing in the backyard of her family home in Kelantan.

Bernama reported that the number of flood evacuees in Kelantan rose sharply to 6,039 yesterday from 3,772 on Sunday, while in central Pahang, 21,699 were being housed in relief centres.

But in Johor, flood conditions improved steadily, with 3,500 people remaining in relief centres after the weekend, compared with almost 5,000 last week.

However, Datuk Seri Najib said the infrastructure damage was serious, and repair work would only begin once the flooding situation had improved.

He also warned that a second wave of heavy rain might come soon, which may cause floods when the rain occurs during high tides.

'We are ready to face this second stage of rainfall. The relevant authorities, including the armed forces and the police, have put their personnel and equipment on standby,' he said.

Malaysia has increased flood mitigation efforts after one of its worst periods of monsoon flooding last year in which it suffered estimated losses of RM1.2 billion (S$525 million).

In Thailand, the Meteorological Department on Sunday warned residents in the three southern provinces to prepare for possible flash floods as heavy rain continues.

According to the weather bureau, residents of flood-prone areas in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat should be prepared for flash floods and run-off over the next few days.

In Narathiwat, dozens of families in Muang and Sungai Golok were evacuated on Sunday as floodwaters rose.

Some roads were impassable to cars and motorcycles.

Narathiwat Governor Karan Supakijwilekkarn has banned boats from the Golok River as churning waters were too dangerous.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK