TELUK INTAN, Jan 27 — Twenty-two families in Kampung Selat Manggis here were forced to be evacuated today after several river bunds near the village burst due to strong water pressure in Sungai Bidor.
Hilir Perak Civil Defence Force officer Mohd Fazly Mohamad Zawawi said the rescue team had to use boats to relocate the villagers to a relief centre at SK Sungai Kerawaim, as the road leading to the village was inundated with one-metre deep of flood waters that stretched for about 400 metres.
“The evacuation process began at 10am...We even had to persuade them to leave their houses as we’re worried that the situation would get worse due to cloudy weather,” he told reporters here.
A villager, Sarimah Ibrahim, 40, said she woke up to the screams of her neighbour this morning to realise that her house was already inundated with water which rose to thigh level.
“The water could only be seen stagnant outside the house compound yesterday.
However, the water had filled our house about 5am today. Luckily, we heard the screams of the neighbours,” she said, adding that the last flood incident was in 2012.
Meanwhile, Hilir Perak district officer-cum-district disaster management chairman Shahrunaim Radzali said he was informed that the collapsed bund had caused the flood, and repair works were now being carried out.
In LUMUT, the Manjung Municipal Council had embarked on repair works along the bunds near a landfill area in Teluk Mengkudu, Segari here which collapsed due to heavy downpour recently.
Its president, Mohd Farez Mohd Anip said works had been carried out since last Tuesday, on the same day the incident occurred.
“This had never happened before and we believe that it is caused by heavy rains in the area,” he said when contacted here. — Bernama
