No threat of high tide phenomenon in Kuala Muda so far, says Kedah Civil Defence Force

SUNGAI PETANI: The high tide phenomenon forecast to occur in the Kuala Muda area, here, from Tuesday (Feb1) until Saturday (Feb5), has not posed a threat to the residents, especially in the coastal areas of the district, says the Kedah Civil Defence Force (CDF).

Its director, Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, said based on his team’s monitoring the sea level rise was normal and did not pose a risk to the residents.

"There are two places that are monitored in Kedah, namely Kuala Muda and Kuala Kedah, where some areas were affected due to the high tide phenomenon last year, but for this year’s forecast it is expected to occur in Kuala Muda.

"We have deployed our personnel to locations where high tide is expected to occur, and based on the reports of staff in the field, although the high tide has occurred, it is not very serious," he said when met by Bernama here Friday (Feb 4).

The monitoring was carried out at Kota Kuala Muda beach and Tanjung Dawai beach, based on hydrographic information issued by the National Hydrographic Centre and the Malaysia Tide Tables, he said.

He said at 2am on Friday the water level in both locations was detected to have risen to between 1.3m and 1.5m, which is a normal reading, and did not reach the predicted level of 2.26m.

Awang Askandar said that residents in the Kuala Muda coastal area need not worry about the situation, but they should remain vigilant for any eventuality.

The National Hydrographic Centre had earlier issued a warning of high tide phenomenon in coastal areas, especially in the west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, from Feb 1 to 5.

Apart from Kuala Muda, other areas that are predicted to face the phenomenon are Port Klang and Sabak Bernam, Selangor; Bagan Datuk, Perak; and Batu Pahat and Pontian in Johor.- Bernama