Today Online 8 Dec 07;
JOHOR — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants the meandering rivers in Johor to be straightened to facilitate water flow into the sea to prevent floods, reported Bernama news agency.
Mr Abdullah, who inspected the area from a helicopter while on his way to Johor on Friday, said he noticed many rivers in the state meandered like a slithering snake. "The meanders slow down the flow of water to the sea and could cause floods," he said.
Seeing how the river water had overflowed into low-lying areas after several days of rain, the Prime Minister expressed concerns about its impact: "Hopefully, the water will not rise further or the people will suffer."
Meanwhile, the Malaysian authorities confirmed that the floods have extended beyond Johor. The floods in three states could get worse as torrential rains pound the nation, said officials. Floods in Johor, Pahang and Kelantan have forced at least 4,585 people to evacuate. Johor has been worst hit with at least 3,738 people staying at 42 flood relief centres, reports said.
"People's lives in these areas will be affected. So, our advice to them is to monitor the weather warnings and act early when there is a warning," said Deputy Science Minister Kong Cho Ha.
Last December, large parts of Johor were flooded after days of heavy rain that left more than 110,000 people displaced — causing at least RM1.5 billion ($650 million) in damage, according to government estimates. — AFP
Thousands flee floods in Malaysia
Straits Times 8 Dec 07;
Johor, Kelantan and Pahang hit hard; Malaysian officials warn of more rain ahead
KUALA LUMPUR - FLOODS in three states forced thousands to evacuate yesterday, said the Malaysian authorities, who maintained a close watch on the situation despite improvement in some areas.
'There is now a heavy rain warning out for the northern parts of Johor and Pahang state, and the situation may worsen,' Deputy Science Minister Kong Cho Ha said in the early evening.
'People's lives in these areas will be affected, and so our advice to them is to monitor the weather warnings and act early when there is a warning.'
Following an aerial inspection, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said the meandering rivers of Johor should be straightened to mitigate future flooding.
'The meanders slowed down the flow of water to the sea and could cause floods,' Datuk Seri Abdullah said at a meet-the-people session in Segamat.
More than half the evacuees in Johor Baru returned home as waters receded. At 8am, there were 1,573 evacuees at 11 relief centres in the district, but by 4pm, only 726 remained at two relief centres.
A spokesman said from the flood operations room that this brought the total number of flood victims in Johor down from 4,491 at 8am to 3,705.
However, the situation worsened in Segamat, with 2,697 people seeking shelter at relief centres at 4pm yesterday, up from 1,786 at 8am.
In Pahang, 662 people were evacuated to flood relief centres, two landslides were reported and two stretches of road were under up to a metre of water.
In Kelantan, floods overwhelmed several villages in the Gua Musang, Kuala Krai and Jeli districts, and 185 people in Jeli were evacuated.
Johor and Pahang have been experiencing moderate to heavy rain since Wednesday, while Kelantan, Terengganu, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan have had downpours since Thursday.
Flood warnings were issued for all six states.
The Meteorological Department warned that Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan could experience widespread and continuous rain for two to four more days.
In December last year, large parts of Johor were flooded after days of heavy rain. More than 110,000 people were also displaced. The floods caused at least RM1.5 billion (S$649 million) in damage, according to government estimates, and were some of the country's worst.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERNAMA
PM: Realign rivers to beat floods
The Star 8 Dec 07;
SEGAMAT: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants Johor to alleviate flooding by aligning rivers.
The Prime Minister said he had an aerial view of the flood situation here and directed Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman to get the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to consider re-aligning Sungai Muar.
“When I saw the floods from the helicopter enroute to Segamat I feared it could be serious.
“The curves slowed down the flow of the water, causing floods,” he said at a meet-the-people session at Dataran Segamat yesterday.
Abdullah pointed out that there would be benefits in aligning rivers. A river bend could be turned into a lake, which could be utilised for aquaculture, fish breeding, boating and fishing.
He said he had asked Abdul Ghani to submit a proposal for the Government to include the river project under next year’s review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
He also announced that the Tangkak-Segamat road would be upgraded and widened to shorten travelling time and boost economic growth in northern Johor.
Later at a press conference, Abdullah said all the necessary preparations were in place to handle any flooding.
He pointed out that the Johor Government had gained valuable experience from the unexpected floods last year.
“We are ready to get the machinery moving at any time to overcome the problem.
However, we pray that Johor and the east coast will not be inundated by massive flooding,” he said.
Abdullah also presented land titles to 173 Felda Redong Satu settlers, and agricultural plots and housing lots to 121 Chinese and Indian folk.
