KOTA BHARU – A half-completed flood mitigation project here has brought new woes to those who never experienced floods while failing to solve the problem for other flood victims who have waded through the ordeal before.
Construction of one embankment in the Sg Golok Integrated River Basin Development Project (PLSB) has led to floods in Rantau Panjang and Pasir Mas, Kelantan in the last three years – a new experience for several residents in the area.
Awang Ismail, 54, from Kg Gual Dalam, said his home and roti canai restaurant had never experienced flooding until three years ago when work on the project began.
“The water reached adult waist-level.
“Normally, during heavy rain, the river (Sg Golok) carries away excess water from Lubok Jong.
“But after the embankment was built, the flood level was higher,” Awang told Scoop.
He said during the worst times, his house, which is located close to the road, remained submerged for a week, prompting his family to temporarily relocate to a nearby relief centre.
Their evacuation prevented them from being stranded when the main road from Pasir Mas to Rantau Panjang was flooded and guarded by authorities for five days.
However, the situation in Awang’s area improved – after a part of the embankment collapsed near Sg Lanchang last month – and the floodwaters began receding gradually.
Unfortunately for other areas, such as Kg Serungga and Kg Padang Licin, these places experienced flooding because of the collapsed embankment, resulting in excess rainfall overflowing into these villages.
Che Haron Zakaria, 59, of Tasek Bakong, blamed poor construction of the embankment, saying there was an insufficient number of culverts to divert rainwater.
When that section of the embankment collapsed last month, water levels rose until it almost touched the roof of his house.
In fact, due to many days of heavy rainfall over Kelantan last month, Che Haron evacuated several times within the same month.
Before the embankment was built, Che Haron said he had also experienced floods many times.
“(By now) we are used to it. Until now, I have not bought anything new because I’m afraid a flood will happen again,” he said.
The collapsed embankment also inconvenienced Kg Bakong resident, Sabariah Hussin, who said the water reached waist-level in last month’s floods.
The 51-year-old clerk stressed that the embankment’s collapse had caused the inundation.
Gual Periok district village chief Mohd Faiz Hassan, who oversees several districts in the affected area, told Scoop around 3,000 families had to move to temporary relief shelters because of flooding after the embankment’s collapse.
Reported cumulative losses amounted to RM500,000.
Kg Tersang was the worst-affected area as 25 families here were the first victims to go to temporary flood relief centres – and were the last to leave as their village was inundated the longest. Three houses also collapsed.
“Most of the areas in the Gual Periok area were affected except for Batu Karang and Tasik Berangan,” Faiz said.
He, too, said the embankment did not have a sufficient number of culverts.
The Sg Golok PLSB project was announced in June 2022, as part of various flood mitigation projects in Kelantan under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
On August 17 last year, then-natural resources, environment and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced the completion of Phase 1 of the project. The entire PLSB, comprising three phases, is to cost around RM2 billion.
Resigned to floods, residents build resilience, preparedness
Last month, floods in Kelantan reached a peak on December 28 when more than 21,000 people had to evacuate.
After years of experiencing floods at various levels, Awang from Kg Gual Dalam, said he has learnt to be better prepared.
He now keeps important documents safely and is always prepared to relocate at a moment’s notice.
Kg Bakong resident Sabariah said she has taken the step of building her house on higher stilts to prevent complete submersion.
Others in Rantau Panjang, such as traders at the duty-free zone, said they have learnt to display their wares and store them on higher shelves.
Haziah Mahmood, a clothes seller, said flooding had become an inevitable part of the monsoon season.
A boutique worker, Siti Maisarah Hamzah, said she lost half of her stock that she kept on the floor during last month’s floods.
“I had to sell some of them at a discounted price because they were damaged by the flood water.” – January 29, 2024