SHAH ALAM: Criticisms of him being late to respond to the floods in Selangor were deflected by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

       Abdul Latiff, who is in charge of special functions, said he was the first to go to the ground on Saturday even before the Mentri Besar.

       “Let them talk, I will get more ‘pahala’ (blessings),” he said when asked to respond to his critics during a press conference at the operation centre in Taman Sri Muda yesterday.

       Addressing frontliners and victims of the disaster, Abdul Latiff said this was something unexpected.

       “Therefore, I feel the disaster should not be politicised,” he said.

       Abdul Latiff said that overall, the flood situation in the states affected has improved.

       He said the process of draining floodwater in Taman Sri Muda and channelling it to Sungai Klang has started.

       “Twenty-four water pumps provided by the Drainage and Irrigation Department will be used in Sri Muda.

       “So far, 16 water pumps have been used since 2am and 80% of stagnant floodwater has been drained.

       “We expect the floodwater in Taman Sri Muda to be fully drained soon so that the clean-up efforts can begin,” he added.

       However, various factors including the size of the area, weather and water level at the nearby river must be taken into account, he said.

       Abdul Latiff also urged the respective state governments in flood-hit states to inform the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) if they encounter stagnant floodwater problems so that the water pumps could be sent there as well.