DBKL prepared to face floods

What say you on the issue below?

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has identified six high-risk and flood-prone areas in the city centre in its preparation for possible floods over the next two months.

The six locations are Kampung Baru, Jalan Masjid India, Jalan Raja, Jalan Dang Wangi, Dataran Merdeka and Jalan Tun Razak near the Bernama headquarters.

These areas have been installed with water-level indicators to monitor the intensity of any continual rainfall for a possible flood.

In response to a question about the possiblity of major floods in Kuala Lumpur, DBKL deputy director-general of socio-economic development Datuk Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz said according to reports from the Meteorological Department, the amount of rainfall is forecast to be between 250mm and 350mm in November and December, which is much lower if compared to the east coast where it is around 800mm.

For all to see: Some of the road signs which will be used in case of floods in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd Amin, however, said he could not rule out the chances of a major flood although he was confident that the situation in Kuala Lumpur would not be as bad as the floods in Bangkok.

“But if the rain is continuous, we cannot predict what will happen. It is all up to God’s will,” he told reporters during a press conference recently at City Hall’s enforcement department headquarters in Jalan Tun Razak.

“We have to be more aware and more prepared this time because of the situation in Bangkok,” he said, adding that DBKL was well prepared for possible floods.

Mohd Amin said DBKL had identified 21 schools and 14 multipurpose halls as relief centres to house victims and had formed a disaster relief management committee together with the relevant departments including the police, fire and meteorological department in case of any major floods.

In working condition: DBKL officers inspecting some of the equipment which will be used in the event of floods in Kuala Lumpur.

He added that DBKL has also activated a 24-hour operations room at their enforcement department headquarters in Jalan Tun Razak since the beginning of this month as preparation for possible floods.

“All information will be processed at this centre and announced to the public if there is a flood,” he said, adding that announcements will be made on the variable-message signboards at highways and through the Integrated Transportation and Information System (Itis) as well as over radio stations.

The operations centre can be contacted at 03-4024 4424, 03-4022 0055 or 019-212 0031.

Mohd Amin also urged the public to use public transport and avoid driving into the city centre and flood-prone areas for the next two months during downpours.