Flash floods hit Kampung Tabuan Dayak yesterday evening after a period of extended rainfall that lasted through the night.
KUCHING: The predicament of residents in Kampung Tabuan Dayak who are facing recurring flash floods almost every year has not been resolved despite their relentless cry for the authorities to plug up the issue.
Last night, residents were once again faced with several panic-inducing moments when murky water started to rise and enter their homes due to incessant rainfall that evening.
According to the State Disaster Management Committee, four houses were affected by the flash floods.
It was also pointed out that the flash floods were caused by a combination of heavy rain and high tide, hence the need for the Civil Defence Force to be put on standby in case the situation worsened.
As of 11pm yesterday, the water level inside the affected homes reached about 0.15 to 0.3m.
A pregnant woman seen sitting in her flooded home in the neighbourhood, waiting for the floodwaters to subside.
“We have been facing this issue for so many years,” said Jack Jones, a resident of the neighbourhood when interviewed this morning.
Armed with a broom and mop in both hands, Jack lamented that ever since the surrounding area has undergone major developments, the residents of Kampung Tabuan Dayak had the short end of the stick.
“It is surprising that despite the number of new development projects in the area, the drainage system here has not been upgraded in tandem. I think this is why Tabuan Dayak is more prone to flash floods more than ever,” he added.
Jack and his family cleaning up their home after last night’s round of floods.
He said that it was also frustrating that every time the area was hit with flash floods, the authorities would visit the area and take photos of the situation.
“However, we have not seen anything being done to solve this problem,” he lamented.
Jack added that on occasion, the authorities would provide families affected by the flash floods with compensation, which is merely a temporary balm to their perennial problem.
“The residents do not want money, it (money) means nothing to us. What we want is for the authorities to solve this issue once and for all,” he said.
He explained that the financial losses due to damaged property, if meticulously calculated over the years, would be staggering.
Floodwaters in the neigbourhood usually do thousands of ringgit worth of property damage.
What was worse was that the water level would rise rather quickly and the residents there would not have enough time to move their electrical items to a safe area.
“As you know, it is very costly to fix or buy a new fridge or a washing machine. But this is something that we have to face every time we are faced with flash floods,” he said.
The disgruntled resident stressed that it was high time for the authorities to improve or upgrade the drainage system in the area as well as to widen or deepen the nearby river.