THE pre-monsoon period has arrived, with thunderstorms occurring daily over the past week and the tell-tale signs of floods can be seen by the swelling of major rivers, although the rise in water levels are still way below their cautious points.
Unlike previous years when the common factor that contributed to floods in Terengganu were heavy rainfall, low lying areas, stagnation of monsoon drains and streams and high tide, this year’s flood could include the effects of illegal logging.
A few major rivers are already showing the effects of heavy sedimentation and becoming shallow at some sections. The most feared factor would be the occurrence of headwaters at the upper reaches of tributaries that flow into the major rivers.
Sungai Besut, Sungai Dungun, Sungai Setiu and Sungai Kemaman seemed the most vulnerable to the effects of headwaters that could flush down not just mud, sand and earth into the rivers, but also logs, canopy of trees and debris washed by heavy rain from forested areas.
In 1999, no one expected that Jerteh town in Besut could be inundated by a flood. However, the unthinkable happened. The town was paralysed by the floods, which caused a breakdown in road and telephone communications, forced massive evacuation and caused untold damages to public properties.
The culprit was the accumulation of logs in the upper reaches of the river. A massive “explosion” occurred upstream due to the force of the water blocked by the logs and other debris that flushed the waste into the river from logging areas.
The first village that was hit by the rushing water was Kampung La in Hulu Besut before the water rushed towards Jerteh and flooded the town, disrupting north and south bound traffic for nearly a week.
The best reminder of how uncontrolled logging causes a catastrophe is the flooding of Gua Musang and Kuala Krai in Kelantan during the massive floods of 2014. If that lesson was not learnt, then there is a strong possibility that such a scenario could repeat itself.
The scars caused by the floods in Kelantan still remain in some areas, with some victims still unable to replace their homes lost in the floods.
Similarly, Kemaman was hit by the floods for three consecutive years from 2013. Each time the monsoon arrives, residents in modern satellite townships at Bukit Mentok and Kampung Paya Berenjut will pack their belongings and move to higher ground.
One reason for the flood was the loss of the water catchment area in Bukit Mentok and Kampung Paya Berenjut to housing development.
The wetland at Bukit Mentok and Kampung Paya Berenjut acted as a giant sponge, absorbing excess rain, but with the area developed for housing, it prevented excess rain from being absorb and the flood was made worse by high tide.
In addition to the loss of the catchment area, the floods in Kemaman were also caused by logging activities in the upper reaches of the Sungai Teladas that feeds Sungai Kemaman. Earth washed by the rain settled in the river and made it shallow, which is a recipe for flood.
In slightly over three months, Terengganu will kick off the new year with the launch of the Visit Terengganu Year 2017 and January will be a wet month with the monsoon season reaching its peak.
However, the pre-monsoon forecast by the Meteorological Department shows that the east coast will experience a prolonged wet period due to the La Nina effect that will peak in November or just about a month before the arrival of the monsoon in December.
The forecast is that rainfall will not be as bad as the one that led to the massive floods of 2014, but the unsettling pre-monsoon and the arrival of the monsoon within a span of just a month should worry the authorities even if the forecast shows no big floods.
The state Disaster Management Committee, which had its first meeting on Tuesday, has declared this month as the preparation month for disaster relief operations, with all agencies involved with evacuation and rescue required to conduct simulations.
Other preparations include installing web cameras to monitor floods at eight locations in five districts — Kampung Gong Terap and SK Kampung Buluh in Setiu; Jertih Bridge and Kampung La in Besut; Kampung Paya in Dungun; Kampung Kepah in Hulu Terengganu; and, Kampung Baru Kemasik and Teladas bridge at Air Putih in Kemaman.
The Irrigation and Drainage Department will also be monitoring water levels at 38 stations and installing warning sirens at 23 locations
Before it is too late, it is time for the local authorities to mobilise its manpower to clear clogged monsoon drains that could trigger flash floods that could disrupt the livelihood of city dwellers and economic activities.
Maybe in its next meeting, the state Disaster Management Committee could include the Forestry Department, which could help identify villages likely to be hit by massive mudflows from illegal logging sites in the interior.
Feedback from the Forestry Department could help the Fire and Rescue Department, the local authorities, army, police and villagers to be on high alert and react quickly to evacuate victims to higher grounds and prevent the loss of lives.
Rosli Zakaria is NST's Specialist Writer based in Terengganu. He is an environmentalist and enjoys capturing the beauty of flora and fauna in its fragile environment. He draws his inspiration from cross-county drives on and off-road adventures.