Village folk fed up with flood problem

source: The Star

BY MOHD FARHAAN SHAH

JOHOR BARU: About 100 residents from Kampung Poh Chee Leng in Skudai are fed up of having to endure flash floods each time it rains heavily over the past five years.

An abandoned army camp nearby has been blamed for causing mud and debris to flow into their homes during the flash floods.

Waitress Choo Wick Sung, 40, who has been living in the neighbourhood for the past 12 years said that when it rained heavily, the water level would start rising within minutes.

“Due to this problem, many people here have moved out.

“The flood waters have caused me huge losses as I had to throw away my sofa set and even my refrigerator,” she said, adding that the water would rise up to a metre.

Choo said she had to erect a wall at the entrance of her home to prevent water from gushing in.

Another resident Ong Teh Kee, 72, said mud from the abandoned army camp would also flow into the village causing a lot of destruction.

“I hope that the Government will help us fix this problem as many of us are fed up with the flash floods,” she said.

Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau who visited the area said that in 2000, the Government had widened the drainage in Kampung Poh Chee Leng.

“The situation can be quite bad for the residents whenever it rains heavily,” he said, adding that he had asked Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa to raise the problem of the abandoned army camp in Parliament.

“I hope the Defence Ministry (Mindef) will have a joint-meeting with Central Johor Baru Municipal Council (MPJBT) to address the problem,” he said.

MPJBT president Md Fuzi Ahmad Shahimi, when met, said that the village was flood-prone as it was located in a low-lying area.

“In 2003, MPJBT spent about RM1.2mil to build and widen the drainage system in the area but the problem still persists.

“If the residents want to have better drainage, then some houses must be sacrificed in order for us to build a wider drain as the houses are located quite near each other,” he said.

Md Fuzi added that MPJBT would hold a meeting with Mindef soon about the abandoned building.

“We will then discuss the matter with the residents to find the best solution to this problem,” he said.