End in sight for Kampung Tehel flood

By Mohd Fakri Awang Lah

JASIN, Nov 23  -- Nor Azli Lamin gets the jitters whenever it rains for two hours or more.

He knows for sure then that Sungai Air Panas will overflow and the floodwaters will rise to about 0.3 metres around his retail shop in Kampung Tehel here.

The 48-year-old has had to endure this flood many times during the over 15 years that he has been a retailer in the village.

Nor Azli also said that an extremely high tide at sea will trigger a shutdown of the sluice gate at the mouth of Sungai Duyong, about 15 km from the village, thus causing the so-called stagnating flood which can linger for up to two weeks.

"Today is the fourth day of this stagnating flood in this village. It struck early last Friday. On Thursday evening, it rained from the evening till late at night. 

"I closed my shop at 10 pm on Thursday and waited for the flood. My hunch was right. Sungai Air Panas, situated about 100 metres away from the shop, began to overflow,” he told Bernama today.

Nor Azli said he and this three workers hurriedly rearranged the goods on the lower racks in a safer place.

"We were unable to save some rice and electrical goods which were on the floor. This is the first time that the floodwaters have flowed into the shop where the flooring is much higher than the surface of the village road.

"This is the second flood to occur this year. The first was last month. I am worried that the flood is going to be a frequent occurrence. I hope the authorities concerned can help resolve this problem faced by the villagers. They can at least deepen Sungai Air Panas so that it can hold more water when it rains,” he said.

Housewife Nor Shazreen Munirah Othman, 28, said the flood was something new to her as she had moved to the village with her husband, Muhd Firdaus Mohd Nayan, 30, and three-year-old daughter Nur Khairunnisa only in January.

"Last month's flood only affected the kitchen. This time, the whole house is flooded. The house is on slightly high ground but it has not escaped the flood.

"Another frightening thing is that I saw several snakes trying to wriggle their way out of the flood in the oil palm smallholding behind the house, but fortunately none of them entered the house,” she said.

Meanwhile, Melaka Drainage and Irrigation Department director Abd Hakim Hamzah said the stagnating flood in Kampung Tehel will last for several more days because Sungai Duyong was still at the alert level of 1.33 metres as of 4 am today. Its normal level is 0.25 metre.

"The main reason for the stagnating flood in Kampung Tehel is due to Sungai Duyong being unable to accommodate the waters from its tributaries, such as Sungai Air Panas and Sungai Hulu Duyong.

"The federal government has approved a RM130-million Sungai Duyong Flood Mitigation Programme for which the tender will be opened in August next year after the completion of land acquisition,” he said.

-- BERNAMA