Terengganu PKR Youth deputy leader Wan Muhamad Haikal Wan Ghazali has blasted the state government for being unprepared for the floods that are rocking the state.
He questioned why there appeared to be no readiness despite warnings from the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
"The floods this time were a bit out of the ordinary as they are outside the regular monsoon season. However, it is surprising that there is no readiness by the state government as MetMalaysia had issued a weather forecast since early February saying that the weather in Terengganu is not as usual.
"We feel that the state government has been reckless in failing to warn the people of Terengganu to prepare.
"We also question the governance of the state government which seems not to be serious in dealing with the issue of floods in the state," he said in a statement today.
State govt urged to issue guidelines
Wan Muhamad Haikal said it was common knowledge that floods on the East Coast are a frequent occurrence but until now there has been no proactive step from the state government even though Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar had set up a Central Flood Management Committee.
"We urge the state government to issue guidelines every time the people of Terengganu face floods.
"The MB had in previous speeches talked about disaster mitigation by controlling deforestation, building Smart tunnels, riverside reservoirs and developing warning systems based on artificial intelligence but it turned out to be just talk.
"Until now, the people of Terengganu are trapped in floods due to negligence on the part of the state government," added the PKR man.
Today the number of flood victims in the state rose to 11,137 people from 3,177 families at 8am, compared to 6,963 people from 2,072 families yesterday.
They are placed at 157 evacuation centres in eight districts, with 44 in Besut, Setiu (30), Hulu Terengganu (27), Dungun (23), Kemaman (22), Kuala Nerus (eight), Kuala Terengganu (two) and Marang (one).
The Terengganu Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said the weather in most districts in the state was forecast to be good this morning while the Drainage and Irrigation Department website reported that six rivers were still at the danger level.
The six rivers are Sungai Kemaman and Sungai Tebak in Kemaman, Sungai Nerus (Setiu), Sungai Telemong (Hulu Terengganu), Sungai Dungun (Dungun) and Sungai Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu).
The number of flood evacuees in the neighbouring state of Kelantan also increased to 8,489 people.
Worry on the ground
Social media was abuzz with netizens sharing footage of the floods in Terengganu.
Twitter user @Haziq_Escobar shared aerial shots of floods in Setiu while another user from Kuala Berang said it was the first time in 20 years that water had entered his house.
Facebook user Azlan Sharif also questioned if the flooding in Kemaman could be due to logging and mining activities clogging up the rivers.
SEMENTARA itu keadaan semalam di Jalan T138 Jalan Permaisuri / Hulu Seladang di
— HAZIQ ASYRAF JR (@Haziq_Escobar) February 27, 2022
SK Kampung Buloh Permaisuri, Setiu #DaruratBanjirPantaiTimur pic.twitter.com/2S2FzQ5Z3Q
- Mkini
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