PONTIAN: Dua Pusat Pemindahan Sementara (PPS) dibuka bagi menempatkan mangsa banjir di Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Durian dan SK Penerok, di sini, hari ini.

Seramai 110 mangsa dari 47 keluarga ditempatkan di PPS SK Sungai Durian manakala 61 mangsa dari 17 keluarga di tempatkan di SK Penerok yang dibuka sejak jam 7 malam tadi.

Seketeriat Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Daerah (JPBD) Pontian memaklumkan pembukaan PPS di SK Sungai Durian menempatkan mangsa dari empat kampung iaitu Kampung Sungai Durian, Kampung Baru, Kampung Chokoh dan Kampung Tanjung Piai.

PPS SK Penerok pula menempatkan mangsa dari dua kampung iaitu Kampung Sungai Buntu dan Kampung Sungai Penerok.

"Mangsa dipindahkan di dua PPS berkenaan disebabkan rumah kediaman tidak selamat untuk diduduki kerana dinaiki air, " katanya dalam kenyataan hari ini.

SUNGAI PETANI: Satu pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) dibuka di Dewan Orang Ramai Sungai Pial di Mukim Merbok, yang menempatkan 47 mangsa daripada 25 keluarga susulan kejadian air pasang besar yang berlaku semalam.

Timbalan Pegawai Pertahanan Awam Daerah Kuala Muda, Leftenan (PA) Zakiyah Md Akhir, berkata PPS itu dibuka jam 4 petang semalam dan semua mangsa terbabit adalah dari Kampung Huma.

Beliau berkata, kejadian air pasang berlaku pada jam 12.15 tengah hari semalam menyebabkan kediaman penduduk di kampung berkenaan terjejas dinaiki air susulan air pasang itu.

"Jumlah mangsa membabitkan 11 lelaki dewasa, 22 wanita dewasa, 13 kanak-kanak, seorang bayi lelaki dan 10 warga emas. "Setakat ini cuaca dalam keadaan baik dan tiada hujan, " katanya.

SUNGAI PETANI – Seramai 47 mangsa banjir akibat fenomena air pasang besar di Kampung Huma, Merbok dipindahkan ke pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Sungai Pial sejak semalam.

Timbalan Pegawai Pertahanan Awam Daerah Kuala Muda, Zakiyah Md. Akhir berkata, pihaknya menerima laporan berhubung kejadian itu pada pukul 12.15 tengah hari semalam.

Katanya, PPS Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Sungai Pial kemudian dibuka pada pukul 4 petang hari sama.

“Seramai 47 penduduk daripada 25 keluarga yang terjejas akibat fenomena tersebut kini berlindung di PPS berkenaan.

“Mangsa melibatkan 11 lelaki dewasa, 22 perempuan dewasa, enam kanak-kanak lelaki, tujuh kanak-kanak perempuan serta seorang bayi lelaki,” katanya di sini hari ini.

Menurut beliau, keadaan cuaca pada pagi ini baik dan tiada hujan dilaporkan.

Fenomena air pasang besar semalam turut menjejaskan beberapa lokasi di kawasan pesisiran pantai di Kuala Kedah termasuk di Port Padang Garam. – KOSMO! ONLINE

KOTA BHARU, May 17 — Peatlands in Kelantan, which serve as natural water catchment areas, are increasingly threatened by open burning and land clearing for agricultural activities, raising concerns over a higher risk of flash floods in several parts of the state.

State Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said peatlands play a crucial role in storing water naturally due to their ability to absorb large volumes of water during heavy rainfall.

He described peatlands as a giant sponge that helps regulate water levels and reduce overflow into drainage systems and rivers.

“If peatlands are cleared for agriculture or affected by open burning, their capacity to absorb water will decline, causing water to flow directly into drainage systems and rivers.

“That is why many flood incidents in Bachok are flash floods,” he told Bernama recently.

Farhan Sufyan said Kelantan has about 7,692 hectares of peatland, significantly smaller than Terengganu, which has more than 60,000 hectares.

He said most peatland areas in Kelantan are located in Bachok, Pasir Puteh and Pasir Mas, which are also identified as high-risk areas for open burning during the dry season.

He added that peatland fires are particularly difficult to extinguish because they spread beneath the ground surface and require lengthy firefighting operations.

“We once took up to 10 days to extinguish a peatland fire,” he said.

According to him, open burning in peatland areas is mainly believed to be carried out for land clearing and agricultural purposes.

He said the practice not only harms the environment but can also cause significant losses to farmers when fires spread to crops such as oil palm and pineapples.

“Oil palm trees take years to produce yields, while pineapples also require a long period before they can be harvested. When fires occur, the losses can be substantial,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said smoke from peatland fires is more severe and could affect air quality, although monitoring remains challenging as Kelantan only has two Air Pollutant Index (API) monitoring stations, located in Kota Bharu and Tanah Merah.

He expressed hope that more API monitoring stations would be placed in fire hotspot areas to strengthen air quality monitoring efforts.

Farhan Sufyan also reminded the public not to carry out open burning during the dry season, warning that such actions could have serious consequences for the environment and public safety. — Bernama