GEORGE TOWN – The proximity of two villages in Tasek Gelugor to a massive river basin, coupled with climate change are causes for the frequent flash floods that hit these villages every two years, according to the Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID).
Penang DID said Kg Sg Korok and Kg Seberang Tok Doi are situated within the 448-sqkm Sg Perai basin, which is traversed by three sub-basins: Sg Kulim, Sg Kereh, and Sg Jarak.
In a written reply to Scoop, the state DID also said these villages are located in lowland areas near the downstream of both Sg Jarak and Sg Kereh.
“The collision of runoffs from the three rivers would cause the water level to rise and eventually overflow onto the embankment at these villages.
“The flooding would worsen due to the convergence of high runoffs from the three rivers, combined with high sea tides and heavy rainfall upstream,” said the department.
Its reply was in response to villagers’ assessment that the location of their villages between Sg Jarak and another nearby river, Sg Korok, made them vulnerable to floods.
These villages were among the areas in northern Seberang Perai hit by flash floods, which affected several states in Malaysia on September 17 and 18.
The flooding happened when Sg Jarak and Sg Korok overflowed into the villages as well as their padi fields within a few hours after heavy rain started. The extreme weather continued for several days.
Villagers told Scoop that last month’s flash flood was one of the many they have witnessed. Previously, their villages were also flooded in 2003, 2013, 2017, 2020, and 2022, with the 2013 and 2017 incidents said to be the worst.
DID explained that it has carried out flood mitigation works in these villages for the past two decades, such as the Sg Perai Flood Mitigation Plan (RTB) from 2004 to 2007, which covered the entire river basin area using federal funds.
The plan involved deepening and widening the rivers, building embankments and drainage control structures, as well as constructing bridges.
16 years later, the department undertook two short-term flood mitigation works in northern Seberang Perai in 2023. The first involved upgrading the Sg Kulim embankment near Kg Labuh Banting and its surrounding areas to prevent spillover from the Sg Kulim.
The second project involved upgrading the irrigation system in Kg Lubuk Meriam, Tasek Gelugor, to reduce the flood risks of Sg Kereh by constructing a flood retention pond, embankments, and water crossings.
When asked whether these projects had failed due to the frequent flooding in both Kg Sg Korok and Kg Permatang Tok Doi, DID stated that they have helped reduce flood problems caused by river overflow.
“However, significant climate change, which has increased rainfall intensity, as well as development in surrounding areas, has led to more surface water overflow in these regions,” it said.
Meanwhile, Penang Infrastructure, Transport, and Digital executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari, when contacted by Scoop, said that the effectiveness of the embankment upgrading works in Sg Kulim was evident during the mid-September floods, as the areas with upgraded embankments did not flood, unlike the areas without upgrades.
However, regarding the mitigation efforts in Kg Lubuk Meriam, he acknowledged that the small size of the retention pond was insufficient to contain the water from the overflowed river, due to the collision of three river branches converging into Sg Perai.
There was a plan, but it wasn’t shortlisted
Penang DID proposed a Phase 2 Sg Dua Flood Mitigation Plan to be carried out across the entire basin, particularly in the upstream sub-basins of both Penang and Kedah.
It stressed the need for immediate implementation of the mitigation plan to reduce the frequency and extent of flooding, improve the efficiency of draining rainwater into the river, and minimise property and infrastructure damage.
Conversely, Zairil confirmed that the RM501 million mitigation plan was proposed by DID under the Fourth and Fifth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan. However, it was not shortlisted to be presented to the Economy Ministry.
“We apply for many projects every year, but some get approved, some don’t, and some get deferred.
“I am unable to explain the reasons, as these decisions are entirely made at the federal level,” he said when asked about why the project was not shortlisted.
Nonetheless, Zairil stated that the state government, through Penang DID, will reapply for this flood mitigation plan under the 13th Malaysia Plan, which will be tabled next year. – October 24, 2024
