PUTRAJAYA, May 9 — Rapid development was not the cause of the flash floods in several areas of the federal government administrative capital last Saturday, said Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
He said an initial investigation by Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) found that the floods were due to waterways clogged by fallen leaves.
At the same time, the hour-long continuous heavy rainfall of 180mm was an unusual phenomenon that contributed to the rapid rise of the water level in the ditches.
“This is an unusual phenomenon for Putrajaya with the very heavy rainfall and strong winds which blew the dried leaves into the ditches, causing the clogged waterways.
“Rain is a natural factor that we cannot control ... even though something like this should not have happened and it is beyond all expectations,” he told a press conference at his office here today.
Tengku Adnan, who is also the MP for Putrajaya, said he had instructed the PPj to undertake a review of the types of tree planted there and to ensure that the waterways were constantly monitored to ensure they were not clogged up.
Between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday, several areas from the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque to Dataran Gemilang in Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 here were flooded, causing two parked vehicles to be trapped in the floodwaters. — Bernama
