Flat dwellers brace for the worst as floods loom
NST 02/12/ 2006

KUANTAN: Whenever it rains heavily, Halimah Abdullah will look anxiously at the fast-rising water level around the four blocks of flats.

Her concern, and that of 128 other families at the Lapang Besar flats here, is understandable as they have been experiencing flash floods since 2001.

Early this year, heavy rain, which lasted for two days, flooded most of the ground-floor units, including Halimah’s.

Last week, her kitchen was flooded after a two-hour downpour.

After several such bad experiences in the 20 years that she has been living at the flats, Halimah has decided that it is better to be safe than sorry.

And so, with the monsoon season expected to bring even worse floods, she has packed most of her belongings and put them on top of cabinets and cupboards.

"We have to make early preparations as the monsoon will be here soon," said the 58-year-old nasi lemak seller.

The mother of seven said all the four blocks of the four-storey flats were affected by flash floods due to the poor drainage system.

She claimed that the problem started when the surrounding areas were developed five years ago.

Halimah said the ground-floor units were the ones worst hit by the floods.

However, those living on the upper floors were not spared either as they would be trapped in their units for days.

"Just imagine what would happen to us if the forecast for the monsoon season is accurate," she said.

To prevent flood waters from getting into their unit, Halimah’s husband built a 0.3-metre concrete barrier across the doorway.

Halimah hopes this will offer sufficient protection against the floods.

Another worried resident, Rokiah Omar, who also stays on the ground floor, said the authorities should do something before the monsoon hits.

"I’m more concerned about the safety of the children. They like to play in the flood waters, " said the 49-year-old mother of five, while packing some of her belongings.

Nordin Mustafa, 53, said the problem could be solved if the monsoon drains nearby were deepened and widened.

The drains easily overflow whenever it rains as the surface run-off from nearby construction sites are also chanelled into them.

"The drains are also not well-maintained, with grass and other pieces of rubbish clogging it," he said.