KUALA LUMPUR: All flood control system infrastructure under the Kuala Lumpur Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) was mobilised after flash floods hit several areas of Kuala Lumpur on Monday (March 7) afternoon.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tun Man (pic) said pump houses, water locks, sirens, retention ponds and flood diversion systems were all operating well in accordance with standard operating procedures.
"The Smart Tunnel flood diversion operation was activated at Mode 2B at 3.40pm, Mode 2 (3.58 pm) followed by Mode 3 at 4.44pm Monday,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said that continuous heavy rain since 2.30pm caused flash floods at major roads in the city centre, as well as Jalan Batu Bata, Kampung Periuk, Kampung Pasir Baru and Telekom College.
"Extraordinary heavy rain within a two-hour period overwhelmed the existing drainage system with a high volume of water flow,” he added.
To reduce the risk of flash floods, Tuan Ibrahim said the Kuala Lumpur DID was implementing improvement and upgrading work at retention ponds in the city, including the Batu retention pond.
"Also, two flood mitigation projects, the Sungai Bunus mitigation project and the Sungai Batu diversion project, are expected to be completed by February 2024,” he added.
Meanwhile, Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang said at the same media conference that the extraordinary rainfall recorded Sunday, which was almost equivalent to a month’s average, was the main cause behind the flash floods.
Normally, the average annual rain for the country was 2,500mm and the monthly national average was 208mm, he said, adding that the rainfall recorded on Sunday at the Taman Desa SMART station was 106.5mm and 155mm at the Air Panas station.
"In just two hours, the rainfall had exceeded half of the monthly average. When such a great amount of water falls in a short time, there won’t be enough time for it to drain away,” he said. - Bernama