Floods: Number Of Evacuees In Perak And Kedah Continues To Drop

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- The flood situation in Kedah and Perak shows signs of improvement, with fewer evacuees seeking shelter in relief centres (PPS) tonight.

In KEDAH, the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) reported that the number of evacuees had decreased to 329 as of 8 pm, down from 470 this morning.

All evacuees from Pendang district remain at three PPS, namely at Tanah Merah Rakan Sukan Complex Hall, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Ayer Puteh, and SK Tunku Intan Shafinaz.

The centre at SK Haji Idris Tajar in Kota Setar, which opened on Oct 27, was fully closed at 2.30 pm today after all evacuees were allowed to return home.

In PERAK, the number of evacuees at Sekolah Agama Rakyat Padang Serai in Manjung district dropped to 124 by 8 pm, compared with 129 in the morning.

The Perak JPBN Secretariat said in a statement that all evacuees were residents of Kampung Padang Serai.

The State Civil Defence Force (APM) said that floodwaters in the village have yet to fully recede, as excess water from Sungai Rotan, flowing from Taiping to Manjung, remains above normal levels.

According to the agency, the water is expected to fully recede within a week at the earliest, depending on weather conditions and the flow from Sungai Rotan.

Meanwhile, data from the Irrigation and Drainage Department show that water at Ulu Kinta Dam has reached the warning level of 248.06 metres, above the normal 243.5 metres.

--BERNAMA