JOHOR BARU, Jan 4 — Johoreans have been urged to stay vigilant following the warning of bad or severe-level continuous heavy rain issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) for several districts in the state.

Menteri Besar Johor Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said among the districts which are expected to experience severe-level continuous heavy rain are Segamat, Kluang, Mersing, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru.

Meanwhile, he said an alert-level warning of continuous rainfall is expected to occur in Batu Pahat and Pontian districts.

"I have received a report from MetMalaysia that continuous heavy rain is expected to last until Sunday (Jan 7).

"I call upon the people of Johor to remain vigilant and heed instructions issued by the authorities, and continue to look after their own safety as well as their family members,” he said in a post on his official Facebook today.

Meanwhile, several districts including Mersing, Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru have been experiencing continuous heavy rain since last night until now.

The Kota Tinggi Public Works Department, in a Facebook post, said that two routes in the district, namely Felda Semenchu (Pump House) and Teluk Sengat in Kota Tinggi, are closed to all vehicles due to rising water and strong currents.

It also said that Jalan Kota Tinggi- Kluang (Batu 25), Jalan Lok Heng/ Mawai /Sungai Mas (Sungai Semalok) and Jalan Lukut Cina-Batu Ampat (Taman Aman) are only open to heavy vehicles. — Bernama