Is There A Better Way To Handle The Malaysian Flood Situation?

Ravindran Duraisamy, Bernama 17 Jan 08;

MENTAKAB, Jan 17 (Bernama) -- During the recent floods, Pahang was one of the worst affected states other than Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor.

Not only did the mighty Pahang river in Temerloh burst its banks in many places but so too did smaller rivers like the Semantan river near Mentakab, which joins with the Pahang river in Kuala Semantan.

It was a bitter experience for people in Mentakab and Temerloh, who last experienced such a calamity during the great flood of 1971, as old-timer and former Survey Department clerk, M. Duraisamy, 78, vividly recall.

Nonetheless the manner in which the situation was handled, left a negative impression on the minds of the flood victims and raised lingering doubts at preparations to tackle anticipated floods.



SITUATION NOT HANDLED PROPERLY?

Selamat Ahmad Kamal a retiree in Taman Sagumpas Mentakab related that he was one of the few lucky ones whose houses were left intact in the deluge, as the water only reached till his front porch. According to him, the water level of the December 2007 flood that inundated many homes in the vicinity was just about 8 feet (2.43metres) lower than that of the one in 1971.

Though happy that no untoward incident happened to him or his neighbours, Selamat is nevertheless disappointed at the manner in which the situation was handled by the authorities.

"As far as I am aware of, the authorities did not inform us of the rising waters and worst still, made no effort to enquire whether the neighbourhood of retired government servants needed any help. Luckily none of us were sick at the time or else we could not have made it through the knee high, and at certain places even up to the thigh, waters," said Selamat who has not seen such a major flood in Mentakab town since 1971.

While mindful of the fact that the authorities could have been engaged in more pressing situations in other parts of the town, he still feels that the relevant parties should have accorded top priority to flood relief operations.

"Its about time they buck up and be more professional in times of crisis. During a flood, they should check on the victims to see if any help is needed, and since communication lines are down, update them on the latest situation concerning the water level."

"They (Rela, the army or police) could have used boats to visit us and enquired if we needed help, especially when we could not even use our hand phones as there was no electricity to recharge our phone batteries," said an energetic Selamat.

When asked why he did not move out, he said that since his was a double-storey house, he decided to remain upstairs to guard his belongings.

Mentakab town was inundated from 12 to 16 December with many shops and even commercial banks along the busy Jalan Tun Abdul Razak under water, some up to 5 feet (1.52 metres) deep.

The Mentakab market has never been flooded ever since it was built, but this time, it was about 7 feet (2.13 metres ) deep in water.



EARLY WARNING IS CRITICAL

Another affected resident Krishnan Maries told Bernama that the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), being aware of the rainfall upstream in Bentong and Bukit Tinggi, should have been able to gauge the expected rise in the water level in the Semantan River in Mentakab over the next 2 to 3 days and warn residents accordingly.

Taharin Abdul Shukor of Kerdau also shared similar views, saying that the authorities have everything at their disposal, from satellites to state-of-the-art gadgets and meteorology experts who are able to predict when and where the waters will rise.

"For example if there is too much rainfall upstream in the Semantan or Pahang River then the rivers downstream in places like Kerdau, Temerloh, Mentakab, Lanchang and Batu 4 Jalan Karakwill will overflow its banks, thus residents there should be warned of the impending rise in the water level in the river. The people here should have been alerted of the possibility of a massive flood like the one experienced in December 2007, " added Taharin.

Meanwhile, a resident of Taman Mentakab Indah of Batu 4 Mentakab who only wanted to be known as Chelliah told Bernama that he did not expect the waters to rise so high.

He said that although the authorities had reinforced the embankment after it collapsed during a flash flood here in 2002, it still gave way and water gushed into the villages in the early hours of the morning. Many were caught unawares and some houses were submerged in almost 8 feet (2.43 metres) of water.



LOSS COULD BE MITIGATED IF ONLY HELP CAME SOONER

The authorities could have mitigated our losses if they had helped us move our belongings to higher grounds, said Chelliah who like most others, lost his refrigerator, washing machine, television, radio, stove and computers.

Chelliah's house is now bereft of possessions and his wife was sitting on the floor when the writer met them.

A resident of Taman Mentakab Indah who wanted to be known as Chudalandy told Bernama that he lost his future earnings in the music business because his entire PA system and computerised music sets worth RM50,000 was washed away when his single-storey low cost house was flooded almost till the ceiling.

When asked whether he had an insurance policy to cover his possessions, Chudalandy held his head down, indicating he had none.

A quick check with BH Insurance Pahang manager Wong Weng Keong revealed that although flood insurance is available to businesses and individuals, it might not be applicable to businesses and individuals in low lying areas.

The writer visited many affected places during the flood in the Temerloh district and found that despite the shortcomings, most of the aid reached the victims on time. Various government agencies played their role in aiding the flood victims and the police were at strategic locations to direct traffic and were seen putting up warning signs of floods.

Apart from individuals and Non Governmental Organisations (NGO), political parties had also helped to ease the burden of the victims by handing out basic necessities like food, cooking stoves, rice cookers, shoes and mattresses.

At least one corporate giant in Pahang also donated some household goods and food to the victims.

Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob who visited much of Pahang during the floods helped to ensure flood supplies were dispatched in time to the victims.



FUTURE EXPECTATIONS OF THE PEOPLE

Although much is now in the hands of the government and the relevant authorities like DID and the Public Works Department, the fact still remains as to how predictions of impending floods could be effectively disseminated to those affected, to ensure that their losses and sufferings would be minimised.

-- BERNAMA