JOHOR BARU, Aug 2 — A downpour lasting more than two hours caused several roads in the city here, including Persiaran Abu Bakar Sultan where the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) is located, to be inundated by flash floods.
It is understood that water levels in the affected parts of the city rose steadily about an hour after it started to rain at noon.
On social media, videos of traffic stuck along flooded roads such as the main artery of Jalan Wong Ah Fook made its rounds.
Jalan Yahya Awal and Jalan Ayer Molek were also reported to have been inundated by floodwater leading to traffic congestion.
This afternoon, flash floods were also reported at Kampung Mohd Amin in Nong Chik, Jalan Pantai Lido towards the city centre, Jalan Mahmodiah and Jalan Seri Pelangi towards Stulang Laut.
However, the water in most of the affected places had subsided by 4pm.
A Malaysian Civil Defence Force spokesman confirmed receiving reports related to flash floods in several areas of the city.
Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi together with state Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh visited the flood-hit areas of Wisma Persekutuan and HSA.
In his Facebook post, Onn Hafiz said today’s rain was heavier than usual, with rainfall almost reaching 100mm compared to the normal level of 20mm.
“The tide is also quite high, at around 1.15m, and this means the access rainwater could not flow out to sea.
“For immediate action, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) will carry out pumping work to channel water out of the area.
“The department will also improve the pumping system to accommodate higher water capacity,” he said.
