Strong currents break wall on flood mitigation project, causes deluge

Strong currents break wall on flood mitigation project, causes deluge


Elevated water levels and strong currents caused a wall at the Sungai Golok Integrated River Basin Development Project (PLSB) to break, leading to flooding in Kampung Lanchang, Pasir Mas yesterday.

Kelantan Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) acting director Marinamarican Abdullah the breach created by the raging waters was 20m wide.

"The PLSB wall is 10m high, but water from Sungai Golok yesterday rose to 11.03m.

"The current which was too strong caused the wall near Kampung Lanchang to break," he said when contacted today.

Videos of the breach and the resulting floods went viral on social media yesterday.

Rantau Panjang residents had in the past complained that the PLSB project had caused more flooding in the area.

This is despite the project - which was initiated by the previous government - being intended as a flood mitigator.

Meanwhile, Marinamarican said the DID has not been able to go to the breached wall as of yet.

"For now, we can only monitor through videos being spread, and officers have not been able to go to the location because of the strong currents," he said.