BATU PAHAT, March 11 — The flood waters in the Batu Pahat district are expected to subside within two weeks or a month, says Johor Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K Raven Kumar.
He said the matter would depend on the weather conditions and efforts by the Johor Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) to pump out water in several locations around Batu Pahat, which began a few days ago.
“We expect it to subside within two weeks or a month because the flood water is stagnant, so we have to pump it out.
“Another 21 pumps will be brought in from other places to Batu Pahat, but (to install) these water pumps we must ensure that the river water does not exceed the level of the bank,” he told Bernama after inspecting the operation to install additional water pumps in Kuala Senggarang today.
Raven Kumar said several areas in Johor that had previously experienced floods, such as Segamat, had entered the post-flood phase, and that clean-up work was being done in collaboration with the authorities and non-governmental organisations.
Meanwhile, Johor JPS director Azren Khalil said 46 mobile pumps with a pumping capacity of five to 20 cusec (cubic feet per second) were installed in seven districts in the state over the past few days.
According to him, 14 pumps were installed in Tangkak; Batu Pahat (12); six each in Johor Bahru and Pontian; Mersing (four); Muar (three); and one in Kota Tinggi.
“The water pumps are installed to support the sluice gates to speed up the flow of flood water to the sea or the main river,” he said.
As of 4pm, the State Disaster Management Committee informed there were 43,793 victims in Johor, with Batu Pahat recording the highest number with 39,919.
— Bernama
