Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Where are the old longkangs?

FMT reported Flash floods in Penang yesterday after 2 days of heavy downpour, with water rising to knee level at the International Airport.


Penang Int'l Airport

Alamak, what happened to all those big longkangs (huge monsoon drains) I used to see in Bricklin Road, Prangin Road and Macalister Road (or whatever these roads are called nowadays), etc.


monsoon drain, Orchard Road, Singapore
photo by singas

I remember the ones in Bricklin Road, Macalistar Road and Prangin Road
were all as big if not bigger than the Orchard Road drain 

The British colonial administrators built the monstrously big drains recognizing the typical huge volume of excess water in a tropical heavy downpour.

End of March and beginning of April mark the NE Monsoon giving way to a month-long passage of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) from the south to the north. The ITCZ is where the northeasterly and Southeasterly Trade Winds meet, causing much thunderstorm activities in the zone as it travels across Malaysia.



Following the ITCZ's passage northwards, the SW Monsoon (the Southeasterly winds veer right on passing the Equator to become Southwesterly) will commence around May and last until September, bringing much rain to the western coast of the Peninsula. The ITCZ returns in October as it follows the sun to the south.

With such thunderstorm and rain activities over our Peninsula all year long I wonder why Selangor and Penang are having water shortages?

Those humongous sized monsoon drains are very much needed, or Penang will face perennial flooding of its roads and residences. It's an ironical joke to suffer water rationing and flooding at the same time.


Lim Guan Eng with villagers of Kampung Permatang Tok Suboh
a photo which no doubt has troubled UMNO, wakakaka

And if the Penang government has foresight on future needs, it will build the monsoon drains with the additional aim of conserving the captured flood water in special catchment areas or even underground reservoirs for the state's water needs.

10 comments:

  1. think twice. I think ktemoc staying in AS, where municipal,etc local affairs handle by the local people/gov. It will be less hassle when governing power is localise.
    In Bolehland(TM), mahathirism has centralise most of the power and make things worst than "more effective" as in Raja-thir wet dream.
    So who should solve the irrigation issue? Department of drainage and irrigation? Local gov? who should claims/gazette the land? Who do the scientific assessment to decide what size? Who allocate the cost? How the tax allocation money being spend?
    Welcome to Bolehland(TM), snafu as usual.

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  2. After months of drought,with no rain in sight,even the VIP bomohs were summoned to chant for rain.And when rainfall finally arrives and there is heavy downpour we have flash floods.Go figure.

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  3. The renovated Penang Airport's drainage are clearly inadequate to cope with Equatorial downpours.
    It has been pointed out many times , but the airport authorities keep dismissing it, saying they are up to standard. Maybe referring to the wrong country's standards.

    The fact is Penang's climate has periods of very intense rain during the rainy season - and its been that way since ages ago, long before anybody talked about climate change.

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  4. Your good friend, anil netto who will have much more to say about Penang? Though he is an ex accountant, he would be driving the point of having eco balance in the state. Guess who would be the one to be kenna whacked? Hehehehe........Don't be lazy, just read his articles la

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    Replies
    1. who the fuck are you to instruct me to read Anil's articles

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    2. That's NOT cricket !!!!!!

      Have not u do the same to many others about reading someone's else articles?

      Amnesia? Acting?

      U should re-read that paragraph when facing the mirror !!!!!!

      Delete
    3. so looes is now anonymous wakakaka

      Delete
    4. Huh? Since when I become anon, kaytee

      Delete
  5. Please do not be so humble you are not that great yet.

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  6. Just received a notice that water rationing in my area has been extended indefinitely until further notice even though it has rained quite regularly now. Well for me it means only 15 days of water every month. It is for sure damn bloody inconvenient.

    In my life, I have experience living and working in a near-desert condition for about two years. I hardly see any rainfall. Perhaps, only three to four days a year, and even that it was so little. There was about half-a-million people. But there was no water rationing – not even for a single day.

    As KT said… “It's an ironical joke to suffer water rationing and flooding at the same time.

    - hasan

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