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PETALING JAYA: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) wants authorities to explain why they did not order the SMART tunnel to be activated earlier to avoid a major flood in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
In a statement today, the party’s central committee member, Sharan Raj, said that the flooding in Masjid Jamek could have been prevented if the stormwater had been diverted earlier through the tunnel.
Yesterday, torrential rains, which began at 1:30 p.m., caused flash floods in various parts of the city, with a rise in water of up to 3 meters in some areas.
Sharan said that according to SMART’s press release, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage gave the instruction to divert water from Sungai Klang through the SMART Tunnel only at 4 p.m., adding that it was then that the river overflowed.
“The SMART tunnel was designed to divert stormwater from Sungai Klang, which is adjacent to Masjid Jamek, to prevent flash flooding,” he said.
“The failure of the authorities to give instructions several hours earlier had caused the flash floods. Why the delay in the diversion of floodwaters through the SMART tunnel? “
