Floods in Kuantan December 2012

                   Floods in Kuantan in December 2012               12Jan2013   

          It is said the latest just concluded floods in Kuantan in Pahang is the biggest in 65 years.  I dare to say it will not be the only one.  You will see the  volume of floods to become a norm.  Najib blamed the global warming for causing such huge floods in Kuantan.  But…….why did the global warming not bring as much water to Sibu, Sarawak?  Sibu before 2011 was the most flood-prone town.  But and but, Sibu in December 2012 did not experience as much floods as before 2011. 

I must say flood mitigation has brought the effect and the excessive water is channelled properly up to 60%-100%.  Jalan Hua Kiew which was always so well-flooded and for months like hell to tell in the 200?  Is no longer flooded anymore after 2011.  Am I right, friends, young and old; male / female?  Let me know if I am wrong.  For the areas which are not treated properly like Sungai Bidut, Santosa, ……….were just flooded but not as heavy and long and frequent as before.

It is true the global warming have become a reality.  I believe every sensitive being feels and notices it.  The global warming causes abnormal droughts and torrential rain.  The whole stretch of rainfall for a week may be equivalent to the amount of eight months’ / a year’s rain normally.  When abnormal rainfall has become ‘normal’, I wonder what has the BN government done so far to manage floods in different places?

I know so little about Kuantan in Pahang.  Kuantan only brought to my attention because of Lynas factory in Gobeng there.  The chief minister there and the BN political thugs and crowned clowns trades health for wealth at the expense of the mass to allow the production of rare earth there.  Though I know so little about Kuantan besides Lynas in Gobeng there, I know the nature of water and logic quite well to talk about floods in Kuantan, too.

          You will agree with me that water forever flows downwards by nature.  Hence a proper drainage system is a must to prevent floods.  Believe me your house will be flooded if waste water from your house is blocked / water from the rooftop cannot find the passage out.  Personally, I experienced blocked piped and how my bathroom upstairs flooded like hell.  Check around every nook and creek of Kuantan to see if it has a proper drainage system to discharge water smoothly.  The place is also well-prepared to handle excessive water that may amount to 8 months / a year rainfall that come in  few days.  If Kuantan is well-prepared for abnormal rainfall that has become normal, do you think Kuantan would be so well-flooded like hell to tell in December 2012? 

          Are the upper reaches of Kuantan well taken care of to prevent rain water rushing down slope?  Do the upper reaches of Kuantan also face the plundering and blundering form of development of the BN government?  Remember the upper reaches are an important factor to prevent floods. 

          What about the river where all the water from the drains / streams flows to?  Is the river deep enough for the proper discharge of water?  Siltation of the river will impede the flow of water.   Our mother river, the Rejang River once experienced siltation and shallowness and sandbars at many places.  The swollen river can also cause hell-floods, too.

          Thus to prevent floods, you need to take these 3 steps seriously: (1) the drainage system  (2)  the conservation and preservation of the upper reaches  (3) the smooth and easy flow of your rivers.  To deal with excessive rain due to global warming, there are ways to deal with too:  (1) preserve and converse the vegetation  and plant as many trees as possible and wherever we can (2) make each house to have the tanks to take the water from the rooftop (3) build the pools to take in excessive water.

          If you have taken all these steps to deal with water (one of the most precious elements in life), where on earth will we have floods?   Well, tell me.