GEORGETOWN: Penangites both on the island and mainland were caught in floods over the last few days – and they can expect more wet days until next month.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department has warned of thunderstorms potentially causing flash floods during the monsoon transition period from March 25 to May.

The transition marks the end of the 2024/2025 northeast monsoon, which began last November.

During this phase, the country will experience light and variable winds from various directions that could lead to the formation of thunderstorm clouds.

The thunderstorms are typically short but intense, often bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds, especially in the evenings and early nights in most areas in the west and interior of the peninsula, as well as western Sabah and Sarawak.

Yesterday, heavy rainfall and high tides triggered flash floods across several low-lying areas in the state, with water surging into homes around midnight.

Overflowing drains quickly led to submerged streets and flooded porches within an hour. Retiree Ooi Kim Leng, 70, from Taman Siakap in Seberang Jaya, said he had little time to act.

“I couldn’t sleep as water levels in the drain and on the road rose rapidly since it started raining at about midnight.

“By 3am, the front and back of my house were flooded, and wooden furniture was damaged.”

His neighbour Mohd Tahar Abdullah, 78, who has lived in the area for nearly 40 years, said residents there are “tired” as they have suffered the floods for so many years.

Padang Lalang assemblyman Daniel Gooi said several flood mitigation projects are underway. “Among the solutions is the Jalan Tembikai flood mitigation project, which will be implemented by the Seberang Perai City Council.

“Temporary riverbank reinforcement has already been carried out along Jalan Bukit Minyak by the Penang Irrigation and Drainage Department,” he said.

KOTA KINABALU — The Sabah Ministry of Public Works has prioritised flood mitigation in the planning and construction of the Pan Borneo Highway to ensure it does not negatively impact the drainage system, the Sabah state assembly was told today.

Assistant Minister Datuk Limus Jury said several measures were taken during the early stages of the project, such as route planning and design, flood simulation and risk assessment, as well as the construction of elevated roads in Beaufort.

“Throughout the construction phase, efforts have been made to minimise flood impact, including the maintenance of both temporary and new drainage systems, as well as improvements to drainage design,” he said.

He was responding to a question from Dr Daud Yusof (Warisan–Bongawan), who had asked about the steps taken to prevent flooding in low-lying areas during heavy rain, particularly concerning the Pan Borneo Highway project.

Limus added that the alignment planning and design for the highway underwent thorough evaluation and was approved by the relevant government agencies, including the Sabah Department of Irrigation and Drainage. 

“In addition, the Sabah Environmental Protection Department has also played a key role, including approving the Environmental Impact Assessment report and overseeing flood simulations conducted before the project was started,” he said.

Limus added that the project contractor is responsible for ensuring that both temporary and new drainage systems remain free from sediment, debris or vegetation, with routine monitoring and maintenance carried out to ensure smooth water flow at all times.

“The project team has also taken the initiative to enhance the original drainage designs along the Pan Borneo Highway boundary, based on current needs and on-site conditions, to improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding,” he said. — BERNAMA

KABUL, 16 April (Bernama-Xinhua) – Gempa bumi berukuran 5.6 magnitud melanda wilayah Nuristan di timur Afghanistan pada pagi Rabu, lapor Kajian Geologi Amerika Syarikat (USGS), menurut Xinhua.

Menurut USGS, gempa bumi melanda Parun City, ibu negeri wilayah Nuristan, pada 3:43 pagi waktu tempatan, dengan pusat gempa terletak pada kedudukan 35.95 darjah latitud utara dan 70.56 darjah longitud timur, dengan kedalaman 99 km.

Nuristan ialah wilayah terpencil dan bergunung-ganang yang bersempadan dengan Pakistan. Disebabkan akses terhad kepada Internet dan telekomunikasi, masih tiada laporan mengenai mangsa dan kerosakan akibat bencana itu.

– BERNAMA-XINHUA

Forecast-beating growth in China’s first quarter may have offered Beijing’s economic planners some much-needed good news – but analysts warn they should strap in for tariff-induced woes further down the line.

The National Bureau of Statistics said today the world’s number-two economy expanded 5.4% on-year in January-March, helped by a surge in exports.

However, observers said the bulk of that came from “frontloading” as business rushed to ship goods out of the factory before Donald Trump’s trade blitz kicked in.

While state efforts to boost lagging consumption – for months a drag on growth – played a role in the growth boost, the outlook remained uncertain.

“The strong performance has been driven by trade frontloading ahead of anticipated tariffs and a policy-driven rebound in consumption – particularly in electronics and home appliances,” she added.

Tit-for-tat exchanges have seen US levies imposed on China rise to 145%, and Beijing setting a retaliatory 125% toll on imports from America.

Trump has said the ball is in China’s court if it wants to find a way out and Beijing has, in turn, vowed to “fight to the end” in a trade war that shows few signs of letting up.

“The escalation happening in April is going to be felt in the second-quarter figures as the tariffs will send stateside firms looking to other suppliers, impeding Chinese exports and slamming the brakes on investment,” Heron Lim, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, told AFP.

“This will hit electronics makers and exporters the hardest, as their products dominate China’s US-bound exports,” he said.

Louise Loo at Oxford Economics warned that “the improvement in growth momentum is very likely to be short-circuited in the coming months by the incoming headwinds of punitive tariffs”.

Today, China admitted that the global economy was becoming more “complex and severe” – and that tariffs were putting “pressure” on trade.

A top economic planner also stressed that more “proactive and effective macro policies” would be needed to boost growth.

Beijing last year announced a string of aggressive measures to reignite the economy, including interest rate cuts, cancelling restrictions on homebuying, hiking the debt ceiling for local governments and bolstering support for financial markets.

After a blistering market rally fuelled by hopes for a long-awaited “bazooka stimulus”, optimism waned as authorities refrained from providing a specific figure for the bailout or fleshing out any of the pledges.

But as a potentially crippling trade war looms, analysts agree that Beijing may finally feel pressed to do more to boost domestic spending and tariff-proof the economy.

A debt crisis in the property sector – long a major drag on broader consumer sentiment – remains a crucial handicap for the economy.

“Throwing the domestic economy a lifeline is more important than ever before,” Sarah Tan of Moody’s Analytics said.

“The cratering property market remains front and centre of households’ concerns,” she added.

“Combined with the shaky labour market, falling house prices are giving households good reason to prioritise saving over spending,” Tan said.

Insights into how that stimulus could work could emerge from an expected meeting of China’s Politburo, its ruling party Communist Party’s top decision-making body.

“We continue to anticipate a US$2 trillion stimulus package focused on consumption, infrastructure, urban renewal, and shantytown renovation,” said Su at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“Challenges to China’s economy remain significant over the coming quarters,” Su said.