Residents at Kampung Bertam Valley in Cameron Highlands claimed they were caught off guard in yesterday's disaster as they did not think there was anything amiss or unusual when they heard the warning siren at midnight.
Village head Wong Fook Chai told The Starthat they heard the siren for about 15 to 20 minutes before water came gushing into the village.
“We were caught off guard. How were we supposed to know? Usually the water release does not overflow the banks of the river,” he told the daily.
Wong is unsure whether there were over-development upstream as there are many vegetable farms there. He added he could not have imagined the chaos that ensued.
However, Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands president R Ramakrishnan said Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) had given ample warning for residents to evacuate.
“They blasted the siren for half an hour before releasing water from the dam,” he was quoted saying in the daily.
Meanwhile, according to the New Straits Times, district police chief DSP Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said police were informed by TNB of the warning, and those who lived near the dam were asked to evacuate.
“We did not expect the situation to turn out like this. We encountered a similar situation in 1988 but not to this extent,” he said.
It was reported that three people died - two foreigners and a Malaysian - while another is still reportedly missing
TNB, in a statement, said the water release was carried outaccording to procedures.
Village head Wong Fook Chai told The Starthat they heard the siren for about 15 to 20 minutes before water came gushing into the village.“We were caught off guard. How were we supposed to know? Usually the water release does not overflow the banks of the river,” he told the daily.
Wong is unsure whether there were over-development upstream as there are many vegetable farms there. He added he could not have imagined the chaos that ensued.
However, Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands president R Ramakrishnan said Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) had given ample warning for residents to evacuate.
“They blasted the siren for half an hour before releasing water from the dam,” he was quoted saying in the daily.
Meanwhile, according to the New Straits Times, district police chief DSP Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said police were informed by TNB of the warning, and those who lived near the dam were asked to evacuate.
“We did not expect the situation to turn out like this. We encountered a similar situation in 1988 but not to this extent,” he said.
It was reported that three people died - two foreigners and a Malaysian - while another is still reportedly missing
TNB, in a statement, said the water release was carried outaccording to procedures.
Azmin: Was ample warning given?
Meanwhile, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has queried whether ample warning and safety measures had been taken to minimise the impact of the release.
Azmin said they are concerned over the procedures used in releasing the water from the dam.
“We laud the efforts of the Fire and Rescue Department, but we want to know who has the authority to release the water and why wait only until midnight to sound the siren,” he said.
“Those responsible should give a public explanation on this,” said Azmin, who is also Gombak MP.
Meanwhile, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has queried whether ample warning and safety measures had been taken to minimise the impact of the release.
Azmin said they are concerned over the procedures used in releasing the water from the dam.
“We laud the efforts of the Fire and Rescue Department, but we want to know who has the authority to release the water and why wait only until midnight to sound the siren,” he said.
“Those responsible should give a public explanation on this,” said Azmin, who is also Gombak MP.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.