DID: Rubbish in drain can cause floods (Kajang Flood)

So what, we have many people telling how it happened but very few doing something about this. No point after it happens then everyone visits the place and give their 2 sens worth opinion. 

Get to the point and blame who is responsible!!!!

What say you?

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Tuesday December 6, 2011

DID: Rubbish in drain can cause floods

PETALING JAYA: Do not throw rubbish into drains, rivers or roads as it can have a disastrous effect during the current rainy season.

Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) flood management division director Datuk Zainor Rahim Ibrahim said clogged drains and rubbish-filled rivers could increase the chances of flash floods as the water could not flow smoothly.

“When the water flow is not smooth, it causes rivers and drains to swell and overflow, especially during a downpour when there is an increase in the amount of water in a short time.

“Even littering out the car window has a negative impact as it can get stuck at a culvert,” he said.

The heavier rainfall during the current rainy season, Zainor said, could cause flash floods even in non low-lying areas, especially if drains and rivers were clogged.

Zainor Rahim, who visited Kajang yesterday after it was hit by flash floods, said initial findings showed that water flow in Sungai Jelok was constricted.

“The water was not flowing freely. There were some constrictions, including rubbish that clogged up water passage in the river and the town's drains,” he said, adding that the effects of development had played a part.

The Kajang town flash floods, which occurred after a three-hour downpour on Friday evening, caught many by surprise with water levels rising to as high as 1m in some areas.

Property and vehicles were damaged with some businesses reporting huge losses.

Several measures, he said, were being taken to improve the river flow and reduce the constrictions, including raising flood walls.

The DID has several flood mitigation measures in place to brace for the floods, including maintenance and an early warning system with sirens blazing in flood-prone areas.