"High intensity rain" identified as cause of Sgor flash flood.

SHAH ALAM: “High intensity rain” has been identified as the main cause of the flash floods in Shah Alam and surrounding areas. Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Hashim Osman said the department's rain stations in Selangor recorded unusually high rainfall due to the high intensity rain on Monday. "The Batu 3 station recorded a rainfall of 104mm in two hours while the TTDI Jaya station recorded a rainfall of 104mm in three hours," he said in a statement today. Hashim said DID is always prepared for flash floods during monsoon transition and it had ensured that all rainfall stations, flood warning systems and flood monitoring cameras were in working order. "DID has also identified and upgraded 74 water retention ponds throughout Selangor, ensured all pump stations and watergates are working and maintained the drainage system," he said. Commenting on claims by Bandar Puncak Alam residents that the flash flood which hit the area on Sunday and lasted for two days was caused by poor maintenance of the outlet system for the retention pond there, he said the department had identified the problem when flash flood hit the city in August this year. "DID has identified a 20 acre (8.09ha) water retention pond which needs to be upgraded to mitigate flood. Work on it started in October and the RM2.8 million project is expected to be complete by June next year," he said. Today, a Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said almost 400 flood victims were relocated to seven relief centres throughout the state. On Monday, the flash flood in Batu 3 caused a temporary disruption to the commuter service at the Batu 3 station as the rail line was submerged and several lanes at the Shah Alam toll plaza near TTDI Jaya had to be closed because of the same reason. Other parts of Shah Alam including in Section 9, Section 13, Section 20, Section U8 and Batu 3, were also affected as many roads were impassable to light vehicles. On Sunday night, some 150 people from Phase 2B3 Taman Sinar Alam in Bandar Puncak Alam had to be relocated to Surau Taufiqiyah which was turned into a temporary relief centre but they have returned home on Monday.