LETTERS: Flash floods in the Kolam Air area of Johor Baru have become regular since 2006.
Understandably, property values in this area have plummeted, and renting out ethically requires full disclosure of the risks, which leads to lower rent yields.
But, the Johor Baru City Council seems to be unaware of how these regular floods affect property value.
The floods may be just another manifestation of climate change, in which case the council should say as much and act accordingly in the interests of public health and safety.
However, what is more galling is that at the end of 2023, the city council proposed to hike the value of these affected properties.
A bungalow on the banks of the constantly overflowing Sungai Cat has been valued by the council at RM1,080,000, whereas professional valuers placed a maximum value of RM600,000.
The council had organised an appeal session on Dec 4 last year, during which photographs of the flash floods over the past few years as well as the numerous unsold vacant properties in the neighborhood were presented.
The council officers assured property owners that these points would be taken into consideration and the result of the appeal would be released in late January.
On Dec 6, Johor Baru was again affected by flash floods to levels not previously seen. Needless to say, additional damage was sustained by the affected properties and more of them were abandoned.
It was obvious that the council's installation of "tidal flap gates" in the preceding months had no effect. Many of them may have been torn away by the raging waters that can be seen on the Internet.
Unfortunately, a month later, the council announced that, after consideration, they had decided to maintain their valuation, demanding that the new assessment rate of RM864 per annum be forwarded immediately.
Councils do require revenue to provide their service, but in this case the rate has been determined unrealistically.
I can only hope that the decision-makers can see it in their hearts to take another look at the issue.
N. SATHESH NARAYANAN KUTTY
Johor Baru
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times