Baling’s Kg Iboi hit by floods again

 

Members of the Kedah civil defence force helping flood victims through the waist-deep muddy water in Kampung Iboi, Baling. (APM pic)

PETALING JAYA: Kampung Iboi in Baling was hit by flood this evening, which is the fourth time since it was first hit in July.

According to the Kedah Civil Defence Force, 10 houses in the village were affected by the floods as of 8.00 pm, with one temporary shelter opened to victims.

APM Kedah’s spokesperson Saifuddin Abdullah said that unofficially, 15 families have been sheltered, with the number expected to increase.

The agency is yet to identify the total number of victims.The village, located at Mukim Kupang, suffered flooding in July, September and October.

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Three lives were lost and damage to property was estimated at RM28 million in the July floods, which was a result of heavy rain causing a huge water surge through the streams in the valley.

Hydrology expert Chan Ngai Weng of Universiti Sains Malaysia said in August that the cause of the water surge lay in human activities, such as forest clearing, construction, agriculture and conversion of virgin forests to built-up areas.

The clearing of forests could be blamed for the rapid water surge since barren land could not hold back rainwater, let alone act as a sponge to absorb excess moisture. The clearing of forests could also cause a river to become shallow, he said. - FMT