Press Statement by Raveentharan ADUN Batu Uban on the Flash Flood and Landslide near Bukit Gambir

Press Statement by Raveentharan ADUN Batu Uban on the Flash Flood and Landslide near Bukit Gambir

Date: 19 October 2011

The approval of plan by the previous regime is very much suspicious because the developer can build a 3 feet wall and divert the river flow into a drain. This is tantamount to going against nature.

After 40 minutes of downpour, a beautiful but life threatening waterfall appears from nowhere and this has also caused erosion of the rocks and soil.

I think the only solution to arrest this problem is to provide several catchment areas and to build retention ponds at the top of Bukit Gambir. I have already proposed and expressed to the Dewan Undangan Negeri the need to turn this area into an ecopark to preserve the environment as a water catchment area and to build mini reservoir to stop the sudden flash floods. This will also help alleviate the flash flood problems at Jalan Satu and Jalan Enam at Changkat Minden and Sungai Dua area.

I feel very sorry and sympathise for the residents and elderly folks who have to put up with the flash floods and especially those who are staying in low laying areas, and will visit them tomorrow.

Last night I went personally to examine the situation at Mutiara Indah and had requested the DO, Penghulu and JKR Jurutera Daerah to do a study.

RM200K has been allocated by JPS to do the flood mitigation at Sungai Dua. All these water problem originates from Bukit Gambir and flows into Sungai Dua and Sungai Gelugor.

The relevant authorities should come together and solve this problem once and for all. I do not want the residents to live in fear each time there is rain.

Thank you.

Raveentharan A/L Subramaniam
ADUN Batu Uban

56 Jalan Permai
Taman Brown
11700 Gelugor
P.Pinang

Explanation on floods in Sungai Dua, Penang

14 May 2011

Sim Tze Tzin, state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak and S. Raveentharan, state assemblyman for Batu Uban, together with officers from JPS (Jabatan Pengaliran Sungai) visited Sungai Dua to access the damage and give explanation for the floods which happened after a sudden downpour today.

According to JPS, this was because the drainage culverts were unable to handle the volume of water and this in turn caused the retention pond in USM to breach.