Thavanasan says water overflows from the drain near his house into his home at Jalan Chengai in Johor Baru.
RETIRED teacher NSM Thavanasan wears a worried look on his face each time dark clouds form in the sky as it is a sign of heavy rains and potential flooding.
Thavanasan’s house at Jalan Chengai in Taman Melodies, Johor Baru, which he bought in 1980, is prone to flash floods when it rains heavily.
“My house is the only one in the area that suffers from flash floods and it causes a lot of problems for my family and I,” he told StarMetro.
Thavanasan, 72, added that flash floods have been occurring since 2019 when a development project opened up not far from his home.
He claimed that Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) had rerouted the drainage in the residential area back then, resulting in the problem that he faced now.
“The city council diverted a small drain from nearby shoplots to a bigger drain next to my house, which tends to overflow during a downpour.
“My house gets flooded within minutes of continuous downpour,” he said.
Thavanasan showing the water level when water inundates his house. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
Thavanasan, who lived with his 65-year-old wife and their 28-year-old son, said floodwaters caused damage to his house, especially the furniture and electrical items, resulting in monetary losses.
“I lost two of my cats and my dog nearly got swept away by strong currents.
“The floodwater not only brings mud and rubbish, but even faeces, lizards and snakes into my house,” he added.
Thavanasan said he made numerous complaints to MBJB over the matter and urged the city council to take immediate action.
He said many MBJB officers had visited his house but so far, no proactive action had been taken to resolve the problem.
An MBJB spokesperson said in 2021, the city council carried out drainage upgrading works at Taman Melodies to resolve the flooding issue, including constructing a cut-off drain.
“However, flash floods still occur,” he said.
He said MBJB visited the area in March and proposed the construction of new culvert crossing in Jalan Chengai.
“The city council is in the process of preparing the design and appointing a contractor to build a new culvert crossing,” he said.
The spokesperson also said that investigations by MBJB, in early 2020, found the perimeter drain in the area of some residents’ houses were cemented and clogged.
“MBJB is urging for cooperation from residents in the area to overcome the flash floods by making sure the drainage works well to avoid another flooding incident,” he said.
