JOHOR BARU: The Civil Defence Force (APM) is ready to face any contingency when the forecasted supertide hits parts of the city tomorrow.
Johor Baru APM lieutenant Mohd Aziz Jupri said preparations for the supertide are underway at coastal areas along Johor Baru, including increasing manpower to monitor the three most at-risk areas, namely Sungai Segget, Lido beach and the Causeway.
"Since Sunday, a team of 10 personnel has been closely monitoring the city's coastal area. But with the latest information that a flash flood could hit the city, we’ve decided to increase manpower by four people to prevent or foresee any crisis."
"The team will be moving in groups of five to check affected areas each time the tide is supposed to change. The groups will be rotated," Mohd Aziz said.
It was reported yesterday that Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat warned Johor Baru folk of possible flash floods in areas such as Sungai Segget, Lido beach and the Causeway during the forecasted high tide phenomenon tomorrow.
A check with the Johor Mapping and Survey Department’s online portal revealed that tide levels forecasted for Johor Baru could reach 0.7 metres around midnight tonight, 2.19 metres at 7.24am tomorrow, 1.55 metres at 12.50pm, and 2.23 metres at 5.52pm.
Meanwhile, Johor Baru mayor A. Rahim Nin said the council will be monitoring the four floodgates located along the Lido beach during the supertide period.
He said the floodgates will be closed three hours before each scheduled high tide and reopened an hour after the tide recedes.
"However, if it rains heavily, the floodgates will be opened to allow overspill from the river to flow into the sea," he said.
The floodgates are located at Sungai Segget, Sungai Ayer Molek, Jalan Abd Samad, and Sungai Chat.