JOHOR BARU: After two major water surges left almost 1,000 campers stranded in the wee hours of Monday, holidaymakers have been told not to go camping near water bodies, especially during the rainy season.
In the first case, a water surge incident in Kuala Kubu Baru in Selangor at about 5am, saw about 400 people in several campsites along Sungai Kerling affected.
Firemen from the Kuala Kubu Baru fire and rescue station talking to campers along Sg Kerling to move to higher ground after a major kepala air (water surge) incident occurred in the area in the wee hours of Monday.
“Luckily, some people were awake and realised that the river level was rising suddenly at 3.30am. They alerted other campers along the river, which stretches for about 1.5km,” said Fire and Rescue Department director- general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad.
He said firemen were deployed to the area immediately to tell all the people camping along Sungai Kerling to move to higher ground.
In Perak, a water surge occurred along Sg Simpang 4 Dalam, a popular campsite area, affecting about 500 campers who were there for the long weekend.
Nor Hisham said firemen had to rescue about 46 people who were trapped at a campsite in Kg Simpang 4 in Tanjung Malim after the sudden water surge at about 6am.
“My men had to brave through the flood waters to rescue the people – 26 adults and 20 children,” he said, advising those who planned to carry out outdoor camping near water bodies to postpone their trips during the rainy season.
Firemen braving flood waters to rescue some 46 people trapped at a campsite in Tanjung Malim in Perak during a major kepala air (water surge) incident occurred in the area in the wee hours of Monday.
He added that they have to be cautious when setting up camp next to a river or any water body, as the water levels can rise quickly within minutes due to heavy rain upstream.
On the nationwide flood situation, Nor Hisham said the department had responded to 72 cases between Monday and Tuesday. Most of them were related to fallen trees (35 cases), followed by floods (24), landslips (nine) and two each for drowning and roads cut off.
“Most of the flood cases were in Sabah with 19 cases, followed by three in Perak and one each in Selangor and Penang,” he said, adding that the department had already made all the necessary flood preparations.
Nor Hisham also advised parents to be alert about the whereabouts of their children and remind them not to play near rivers, drains, lakes or sewerage plants, especially during the rainy season.
Cars damaged near a campsite in Tanjung Malim after a major kepala air (water surge) incident occurred in the area in the wee hours of Monday.
Meanwhile, the department operations commander Saiful Ammar Ismail from the Tanjung Malim fire station, said Sungai Simpang 4 was popular with campers, especially during long holidays.
“We had to brave through flood waters to reach our victims as the water level was rising fast, and access via a bridge was cut off.
“We used boats to rescue the women and children first,” he said, adding that during the incident, several vehicles were damaged in the flood waters, while some camping gear was swept away.
Operations commander Harashid Rusli from the Kuala Kubu Baru fire station said the district had more than 100 campsites.
“Although only eight campsites were affected along Sungai Kerling, we had to go from one area to another to advise people to move out,” he said.
