GEORGE TOWN, May 15 – The flash flood which struck Lebuhraya Thean Teik here last Saturday was due to the nearby retention pond which is badly maintained. State local government, traffic management and flood mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the state government’s engineers had identified the cause to be the retention pond in Taman Impian, which caused water to overflow to the road in Lebuhraya Thean Teik following a downpour.
“There is a retention pond within the area … maybe, maintenance has become an issue. If it is not maintained properly over time, siltation takes place and then the capacity of the retention pond will be reduced and once that happens, it cannot carry a whole load, I mean the volume of water, and it will spill out,” he told reporters after visiting Batu Lanchang Market, here today.
Several areas in the state were hit by the flash flood after an hour of continuous rain last Saturday. Among the affected areas were Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Pahang, Jalan Langkawi, Kampung Dodol, Bagan Jermal, Tanjung Tokong and Lebuhraya Thean Teik.
Within an hour of rain, a 60m stretch in front of a hypermarket along Lebuhraya Thean Teik became flooded and caused a traffic jam along the three-lane road. Meanwhile, Penang Island City Council (MBPP) secretary Yew Tung Seang said 30 stalls were affected during the repair works involving several columns which were cracked in the Batu Lanchang Market.
He said the cracks were critical especially at two of the columns, adding that immediate action was taken by urging operators of all the 30 stalls to move out to prevent untoward incidents. Yew said the affected stalls would be relocated to a temporary site, pending completion of repair works to the columns. — Bernama
