KUALA LANGAT, June 25 — Cable theft has been identified as one of the key factors hampering flood management efforts in Selangor, said state executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato' Izham Hashim.
A site visit to Kampung RTB Bukit Changgang, which was flooded yesterday due to a breached bund, revealed that a screw pump installed five years ago had failed to function because its cables were stolen, preventing effective drainage.
"I have raised this matter during the state executive council meeting and discussed it with the Selangor police chief to ensure attention is given to cable theft cases. I was informed that Tenaga Nasional Berhad alone incurred losses of RM37 million last year.
"... and this is not the first incident, as the state Irrigation and Drainage Department has also detected similar activities at a project in Kuala Selangor," he told the media after visiting the Bukit Changgang bund today.
Izham added that these criminal activities forced the state government to spend an additional RM200,000 to RM300,000 to repair damage caused by the stolen cables.
As an initial step to address the issue, the state government is considering installing closed-circuit television cameras and other security measures to curb such crimes.
Concerning the breached bund, he said repair work is expected to take two days. Assessments showed the damage occurred at a river bend, a vulnerable area.
"The immediate measures we have taken include backfilling the soil, installing rock revetments, and driving sheet piles into the breached section.
"Two portable pumps have been deployed to drain out the floodwaters from the affected areas," Izham said.
According to the Social Welfare Department’s InfoBencana portal, a temporary relief centre has been opened at SK RTB Bukit Changgang to house 423 victims from 199 families as of this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) assistant director of operations Ashrul Riezal Asbar said that as of 7pm, the number of victims evacuated to temporary relief centres increased to 522 individuals from 233 families.
In a statement, he said that Taman Langat Utama 2 and Taman Langat Murni were among the worst-affected residential areas. Floodwaters there showed no signs of rising further.
A team of 15 officers and personnel had been deployed to the scene.
Earlier, it was reported that 32 houses in Taman Langat Utama 2, RTB Bukit Changgang, Banting, were flooded after a bund 800m away from the residential area was breached last night.
