BATU PAHAT: A group of villagers from Sri Gading here, affected by the recent flood, have lodged a police report against government agencies.
The group's spokesman Syed Salim Eidzah said the report was made against state and federal agencies involved, including the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and the Batu Pahat Municipal Council (MPBP).
"It is their failure to properly maintain the drainage in the area, as some have been overgrown with vegetation, which disrupted the flow of water in the drains," he said.
The group also claimed that the agencies failed to upgrade and improve the drainage and irrigation system in the area before the development of a housing estate.
"We believe that the development of the Pura Kencana housing project also contributed to the worsening flood in the area.
"We are wondering if the drainage and irrigation system in the area was upgraded before the development began.
"From what we can see, no upgrading or improvement works were done. With the development of Pura Kencana, the volume of water in the drainage system has increased, but the system remains relatively the same," said Syed Salim.
He said before the development of the housing estate, which begin in the early 2000s, the land was an oil palm plantation.
"This means that previously, the rain water was mostly absorbed by the earth. Now, the rain water flows directly into the drains."
He also said the relevant agencies should have proper planning to help resolve the flooding problem in the area.
"We have a flooding problem before, but nothing too serious. In the latest incident, the authorities said the flooding was because the heavy rain coincided with the high tide phenomenon.
"We believe high tide occurs according to a schedule and there is a forecast for heavy rain. If the agencies have a proper plan, then floods like the recent one can be prevented," said Syed Salim.
He said previously, villagers would submit their complaints on such matters through the village heads, but no action was taken by the relevant parties.
"Hopefully, with this police report, the agencies would take a more serious look on this matter. We do not want the problem to escalate further which could lead to loss of lives," said Syed Salim.
On Wednesday, flash floods in five locations in the area occurred because of heavy rain between 1.30am to 4am and the high tide.
A total of 229 victims from 65 families are currently seeking shelter at a relief centre at SMK Sri Gading.