KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists are observing “no drive zone” in certain parts of the city centre not just due to the dreaded jams but also what they fear most now – floods.
The flash floods on March 7 have served as a reminder to motorists traversing in and around the city centre to be alert on weather conditions, with several choosing to pull out of the area upon signs of a heavy downpour.
Sales and marketing senior executive Choong Jun Wei, 26, whose office is based along Jalan Ampang, said the fear of being trapped in floods had him wrapping up appointments around the city centre swiftly.
“Given that my job requires me to travel constantly around the city centre, the fear of flash floods has similarly stayed at the back of my head.
“Similarly, I always try to finish my evening appointments in locations along Jalan Kuching and Jalan Pinang promptly to avoid being caught in such instances,” he said, adding that the flash floods on March 7 resulted in him waiting it out in the office till late that night.
Marketing executive Tracy, whose office is located in the Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle, said she would leave the office earlier when signs of heavy rains appeared.
“It was a traumatic experience since my car which was parked at a lot along Jalan Perak became submerged during the flash floods earlier this month,” she said, adding that she would also opt to stay back in the office in case of floods.
Finance executive Nurul, 28, said flash flood concerns resulted in her making arrangements with her superiors to permit her to leave the workplace early during gloomy weather conditions.
“Given the recent flash floods, I do not want to risk any instance of my car getting caught, especially since my office will be based in the Jalan Sultan Ismail area beginning April.
“As my current workplace is also within the city centre, I try my best to hand in urgent deliverables by 4pm before returning home to resume any pending work,” she said.
On Tuesday, Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said five warning sirens would be installed in the city here to provide early warning on possible flash floods
He added that preliminary works had started for the installation of the sirens at Lorong Kiri Keramat 15, Chan Sow Lin Tunnel, Taman U-Thant, Jalan Sembilan in Kg Cheras Baru and Sg Kayu Ara.
The warning system was one of the initiatives taken by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in increasing assets for flood disaster management, apart from the installation of an additional 51 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in flood hotspot areas, he added.
On March 7, flash floods hit areas in and around the Klang Valley, with Sungai Buloh and parts of Kuala Lumpur badly affected.
Meanwhile in Selangor, warehouse manager Baharuddin Abu Bakar, 31, who commutes from Sungai Besi to his workplace in Kampung Melayu Subang daily, said the conditions along the Federal Highway always had him worried whenever signs of rain appeared.
“During the floods in December, I was stranded along the Federal Highway and this was a traumatic experience.
“Since then, I have made it a point to pull out of my office earlier if the skies turn gloomy to avoid any possibility of being trapped again,” he said, adding that he also spent the night at his warehouse last week, due to an evening of continuous rain.
Training manager Wong Hon Kitt, 33, said he avoided using the Persiaran Kewajipan roundabout in USJ whenever commuting home from work due to previous instances of flash floods.
“I was caught there several times previously and this, together with the heavy traffic build-up, is enough to deter me from using it, especially under gloomy weather conditions,” he said.
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