PERAK GOVT TO TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO FACE WORSENING FLOODS

IPOH (Malaysia), Oct 24 (Bernama) -- As worsening floods seem imminent, the
Perak Government is planning to take precautionary measures to prevent the state
from being badly inundated.

Chief Minister Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the state government was
worried that if heavy rains continued, water in the Chenderoh Dam
located upstream of Sungai Perak needed to be released.

When this was done, he said, it would cause downstream areas, especially
Bota Kanan and Kampung Gajah, to be inundated, thus affecting more than 500
families.

He was speaking to reporters at an Aidilfitri open house in Ipoh, is a city
in Malaysia and is the capital of the northern state of Perak,
Thursday.


Currently, the flood situation in Bukit Merah, Sitiawan, Bidor and Teluk
Intan has improved.

This morning, 105 evacuees from the relief centre in Sekolah
Kebangsaan Haji Dahalan were allowed to return home.

However, there are still 117 evacuees at the Sekolah Kebangsan Bukit Merah,
Sekolah Kebangsaan Bagan Serai (79) and Sekolah Kebangsaan Kebangsaan Alor
Pongsu (203).

Last Saturday, 10 villages in Bukit Merah were inundated when water from
the Bukit Merah Lake Dam overflowed.

Among others, the affected villages were Kampung Ayer Hitam Dua, Kampung
Ayer Hitam Tiga, Batu 37 and 38 of Parit Abu Hasan, Parit Abu Hasan Ban, Kampung
Parit Lebai Kadir, Kampung Batu 40, Kampung Alor Setangguk and Kampung Padang
Lalang.

-- BERNAMA