Floods Worst In Five Years – Kg Batu 10 Cheras Headman

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- Residents of Kampung Batu 10, Cheras described the floods that struck today as among the worst in the past five years, with water rising extremely rapidly and leaving some residents with little time to save their belongings.

The village's headman Napiah Harun said although the village is used to dealing with flood incidents, the situation this time was different as water rose to nearly one metre in just 30 minutes at about 1 pm.

“Usually, even when there is heavy rainfall, the water simply flows through. But today was different… the water rushed in quickly and we did not expect it to be this severe.

“My house is located in a low-lying area, so the water entered very quickly, reaching chest level. Some household items could be saved, some could not.

“We had to leave the house since this afternoon as the water kept rising. Belongings can be replaced, but saving lives is what matters,” he told Bernama here today.

Overall, he said the village consists of 20 houses including two buildings occupied by foreign nationals, involving an estimated more than 70 residents affected by today’s floods.

Those affected were placed at two temporary relief centres (PPS), namely at Kampung Melaka and Kompleks Penghulu Mukim Cheras.

At the same time, he said the Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) had been monitoring the water level since last night and relaying information to residents through a WhatsApp group.

He said Kampung Batu 10 often receives overflow from the Hulu Langat area as they share the same river flow, and today’s heavy rain caused the river to exceed its capacity.

Meanwhile, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Hulu Langat Zone 4 chief Wan Syariman Wan Saleh said evacuation operations in the village began at 11 am when some residents were unable to leave due to the rapid rise of floodwaters.

“Initially, they refused to evacuate, but when the water level increased, we had to move them out immediately,” he said, adding that the operations involved 74 victims including 25 locals while the rest were foreign nationals who lived in rented homes and worker quarters in the area.

He said three boats in total were used to evacuate the residents as well as their livestock.  

-- BERNAMA