Water Level Rose Quickly At 3am And My Main Concern Was The Safety Of Villagers - Village Head

PONTIAN, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- "At 3 am, I was informed by villagers that the water had started to rise. I immediately went out to check the surroundings, ensuring all residents were safe," said Village Head of Area 11 Mukim Pontian, Md Karib Isnin, 56, recalling the initial moments of the flash flood that hit several villages in the district early this morning.

He said heavy rain that started around 1 am and continued until 3 am caused the water level to rise drastically in low-lying areas, including Kampung Paya Embun and Kampung Melayu Raya.

"The rain was continuous, it was really heavy... for more than two hours. When I went out to look, in the blink of an eye, the water had risen up to waist level. The situation worsened when the water from Gunung Pulai (Pulai Mountain) flowed swiftly down to the village area," he said when met by Bernama at the Temporary Evacuation Centre (PPS) in Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Melayu Raya here, today.

Md Karib, who has lived in Kampung Paya Embun for over 50 years, said that although flash floods are not a new occurrence in the area, residents remain worried every time heavy rain hits the nearby mountainous area.

"If it rains heavily on Gunung Pulai, this area will definitely flood even if it's not raining here. The water from the upper area flows swiftly down to the village," he said.

Md Karib also expressed surprise at this incident, which happened too quickly, even though residents had made preparations for the year-end rainy season.

Meanwhile, a resident from the Kampung Melayu Raya area, Muhammad Raihan Shukor, 28, said he and his family did not have time to do much when the water rose suddenly around 3 am.

"We were all quite shocked at the time. My main concern was the safety of my grandfather, who is nearly 70 years old, has had a stroke, and walks slowly. At that moment, I only thought about helping him first," he said.

According to data at the SK Melayu Raya PPS, as of 12 noon today, a total of 139 victims from 44 families from Kampung Paya Embun, Kampung Pak Kalib, Kampung Melayu Raya, Kampung Seri Menanti, Kampung Maju Jaya, and Kampung Sepakat Jaya have been housed at the centre.

The concern for the affected residents was also shared by the Member of Parliament for Tanjung Piai, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng, who said his office would bring up the issue of flash floods in the district to the Parliament to seek a long-term solution.

"God willing, I will bring this issue to Parliament later to discuss how the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) can submit a more suitable proposal to overcome this problem," he told reporters after inspecting the situation at the PPS today.

According to him, measures that will be considered include deepening the riverbed in the affected areas to increase the smoothness of water flow, especially during the rainy season.

In addition, he said, his office will also try to obtain aid to alleviate the burden of the residents affected by the flood.

-- BERNAMA