Shah Alam: Lima daerah di Selangor dilanda banjir kilat pagi semalam berikutan hujan lebat tanpa henti sejak jam 1 pagi.

Pengarah Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (APM) Selangor, Ghazali Abd Rahman, berkata daerah terbabit adalah Petaling, Klang, Sepang, Hulu Langat dan Gombak.

Di Petaling, katanya, kawasan terjejas adalah Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Baru HICOM, Kampung

Seri Aman, Kampung Padang Jawa dan laluan motosikal Jalan Persekutuan (Shah Alam).

“Di Klang, banjir kilat membabitkan Bukit Payung; Taman Daya, Meru; Pekan Meru, Taman Mutiara dan Taman Sri Muda.

“Di Sepang membabitkan Kampung Abu Bakar Baginda, Sungai Merab dan Desa Vila Merab,” katanya ketika dihubungi, semalam.

Ghazali berkata, daerah Hulu Langat membabitkan Laman Gahal, Batu 14 dan Gombak (Jalan Ayer Panas).

Katanya, ketika ini air Sungai Klang dan Sungai Langat berada pada paras tinggi.

Sementara itu, mangsa banjir melanda daerah Petaling dan Klang sehingga petang semalam mencecah 1,000 orang dengan enam pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) dibuka.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana negeri, Mohd Najwan Halimi, berkata bagi daerah Petaling, selain Dewan Kenanga Seksyen 28 Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) dan Sekolah

Kebangsaan Seksyen 16; Dewan Camelia, Putra Height turut dibuka untuk penempatan mangsa banjir.

3 PPS dibuka di Klang

Beliau berkata, bagi daerah Klang, tiga PPS dibuka adalah Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Binjai, Dewan Azalea, Taman Seri Muda dan Dewan Bunga Bakawali Seksyen 35.

“Proses pemindahan, pendaftaran dan bancian mangsa banjir sedang berjalan di semua PPS. Maklumat semua mangsa akan dikemas kini dari semasa ke semasa,” katanya ketika ditemui selepas meninjau kawasan terjejas di Kampung Padang Jawa di sini, semalam.

Sementara itu, Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, berkata seramai 137 penduduk di beberapa kawasan di Selangor terjejas akibat banjir kilat, dengan

satu kes kematian dilaporkan membabitkan seorang warga asing.

“Satu kes kematian dilaporkan membabitkan seorang warga asing di Sri Muda akibat renjatan elektrik.

“Difahamkan, mangsa terkena renjatan elektrik ketika berada di kawasan yang dinaiki air,” katanya selepas menyalurkan bantuan pendidikan berupa wang tunai, komputer riba dan power bank kepada pelajar yang juga mangsa tragedi letupan saluran gas Putra Heights di sini, semalam.

Sementara itu, bencana tahap satu diisytiharkan dan dua PPS dibuka berkuat kuasa serta-merta bagi menempatkan penduduk yang terjejas susulan banjir kilat pagi semalam.

Sementara itu, bencana tahap satu diisytiharkan dan dua PPS dibuka berkuat kuasa serta-merta bagi menempatkan penduduk yang terjejas susulan banjir kilat pagi semalam.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Daerah (JPBD) Petaling, Huzunul Khaidil Mohammed, berkata dua PPS itu adalah Dewan Kenanga MBSA, Seksyen 28 membabitkan mangsa dari Kampung Bukit Lanchong.

Katanya, PPS kedua di Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 16 Shah Alam yang menempatkan mangsa dari Kampung Padang Jawa.

Mengenai banjir kilat di Sepang, Ahli Parlimen Sepang, Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu, berkata antara kawasan terbabit ialah Jalan Salam Kampung Sungai Merab Luar, Kajang.

Katanya, seawal jam 3.30 pagi anggota dari Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat (JBPM) digerakkan ke kawasan itu untuk tugas menyelamat.

PETALING JAYA: More thunderstorms and flash floods can be expected in the west coast of the peninsula until May this year, say climatologists.

They say this is due to the inter-monsoon period, which began on March 25 and is expected to last until May.

Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences senior research fellow Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said the west coast of the peninsula usually experiences higher rainfall in April.

“However, thunderstorms during this season are not those that last continuously for 24 to 48 hours, as observed during the northeast monsoon surges.

“Hence, the risk of major flooding is low; expect more flash floods instead, especially if the rain occurs during a high tide,” he said.

Climatologist Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang, who is also an Academy of Sciences Malaysia Fellow, said besides the west coast of the peninsula, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Putrajaya and surrounding areas are also susceptible to flash floods during this period.

He also said more rain can be expected sometime in September and October, which is also an inter-monsoon period.

“This is due to the weaker wind conditions, which can result in favourable conditions for rain to occur, and typically in the afternoon and evening.

“It is possible that climate change amplifies this by increasing moisture content in the atmosphere.”

He also warned of extreme weather patterns in areas like Sekinchan in Selangor, as well as Kedah and Perlis.

Yesterday, flash floods struck parts of Selangor. Among the affected areas are parts of Shah Alam, Klang, Puchong and Kampung Tengah in the Petaling district.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, 930 victims had been displaced in the state due to floods as at 8pm and were housed at four temporary relief centres.

The Malaysian Highway Authority had issued a warning to motorists about traffic congestion along the Puchong Barat toll.

It said this was due to residents’ parking their vehicles there following flash floods in areas adjacent to the expressway.

Earlier this month, residents of Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru in Puchong, Selangor, had a scare when a nearby gas pipeline burst into a massive fireball. Yesterday, a flash flood hit the village following a heavy downpour.

PETALING JAYA: Heavy rain in the wee hours of yesterday morning left two dead and almost 1,000 displaced in Selangor following flash floods that hit parts of the state.

The downpour, which began at 2am, affected parts of Shah Alam, Klang, Kampung Sri Aman in Puchong as well as the Petaling district.

A local man and a foreign national were found dead, believed to have been electrocuted, in Shah Alam.

Two elderly and immobile persons were also moved out of their homes in Shah Alam after floodwaters inundated their homes.

The Fire and Rescue Department evacuated a 75-year-old stroke victim from her house in Taman Iswara Sri Muda, Shah Alam, while firemen later rescued a bedridden elderly man in Jalan Mat Raji, Padang Jawa.

“Firemen are inspecting the areas to help the flood victims,” said Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar.

Water level rose up to 60cm and some 20 houses were affected by the flooding in Kampung Padang Jawa.

In Klang, 10 houses were affected by flooding in Taman Seri Jaya, Kapar.

Eight people were also evacuated to a temporary relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Binjai.

In Kampung Sri Aman, Puchong, water level, which rose up to 60cm, started to recede by 8am.

The flooding affected 30 houses and temporarily displaced 120 people.

Another area hit by floods was Kampung Tengah in the Petaling district, resulting in 20 houses affected.

Six victims were relocated to the Putra Heights mosque temporary relief centre.

Residents of Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and Kampung Tengah, who were affected by the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, were also not spared.

Mohd Kamalzaman Pauzi, 39, said his home was inundated at about 6am, forcing him, his wife and their three children – aged six to eight – to evacuate to the Putra Heights mosque temporary relief centre.

“Within a week, we have moved here (to the relief centre) twice. I haven’t even had time to get over the fire and now we have been hit by floods,” he said, Bernama reported.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said Tenaga Nasional Bhd has been notified to cut off electricity in the affected areas.

Highways across parts of the Klang Valley were also affected by the deluge.

In notices uploaded to the Malaysian Highway Authority social media account, a stretch of the Damansara-puchong Highway was congested due to floods in the morning.

It said two lanes heading towards the Puchong Barat toll plaza were blocked.

Residents had parked their cars here due to flash floods that affected nearby neighbourhoods.

Along the Shah Alam Expressway, rising waters at the Hicom intersection caused the motorcycle lane to be closed.

At the Grand Sepadu Highway, floodwaters blocked the left lane, and later receded.

LLM said rising waters at the Bandar Bukit Raja Selatan intersection along the West Coast Expressway saw the route only being accessible to heavy vehicles.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, 930 victims had been displaced in the state due to the floods as at 8pm. They were housed at four temporary relief centres.

A total of 215 victims were housed at the relief centres in Klang and 715 in Petaling district.

PETALING JAYA: The gas pipeline explosion has brought to light serious safety lapses in the construction industry, particularly concerning encroachment into protected zones such as pipeline areas. Police have confirmed that excavation activity took place at the site prior to the explosion, which occurred on April 1.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying dean Prof Dr Kherun Nita Ali said the core issue was not the design of the pipeline, but the alleged breach of safety boundaries.

“Carrying out construction works (allegedly) near the pipeline was a clear violation of safety protocols. The disaster was avoidable, and the failure to respect those boundaries lies at the heart of the explosion.”

Under the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2022 and Construction Work Design Management (CWDM) Regulations 2024, developers, designers and contractors are legally obligated to prioritise safety from the outset.

This includes preparing a Construction Design Management (CDM) plan and conducting a Design Risk Assessment (DRA) to mitigate risks posed by underground utilities, such as pipelines.

“If the principal designer had properly mapped out the underground pipelines, and the contractor had adhered to safe excavation practices, the incident could have been prevented,” she said, adding that a robust DRA process, which reviews design concepts and safety controls, would have flagged and prevented the encroachment.

Kherun Nita said the CDM framework aims to identify foreseeable risks early and maintain safety throughout the construction phases.

“Prevention through design, or safe by design is a key principle that could have mitigated risks in this case.

“Failure to comply with safety protocols has left the developer, principal designer and contractor exposed to potential legal action.”

Kherun Nita noted resistance among industry professionals, particularly designers, who are often reluctant to take full responsibility for risks, contributing to lapses in safety measures.

“Reluctance is one of the main reasons safety protocols aren’t fully implemented,” she said, adding that the importance of collaboration and hazard identification early in the project planning can prevent disasters such as the pipeline fire.

“Proper procedures could have enabled the project team to adopt alternative construction methods that could have avoided the pipeline zone altogether,” she said.

Kherun Nita said the incident should serve as wake-up call for the industry to take safety more seriously and collaborate more effectively at every stage of construction.

“Safety must begin at the design phase, with a focus on identifying and addressing risks long before construction starts.”

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan was reported to have said that authorities have identified the developer, contractor, subcontractor and workers involved in the excavation, which had stopped on March 30, a day before the tragedy.

Authorities added that two heavy machines, a backhoe and an excavator, were used to replace existing sewer pipes. Investigations also revealed that one heavy machine was buried in the crater that was formed following the explosion.