State govt finding ways to overcome flash floods in Johor Bahru

He said the flash floods incident, which has hit several areas in the city since noon, was caused by excessive rainfall and the high tide phenomenon.

"The flood was due to the rapid rise in water levels and I was informed that in an hour, the rainfall reached up to 100 millimetres (mm) compared to the usual 10 to 20 mm.

"This had caused flash floods not only in Johor Bahru but around the Sultanah Aminah Hospital as well. The high tides also prevented the floodwater from flowing out," he told reporters after observing the flood-affected area in Jalan Air Molek here.

Onn Hafiz said he has asked the local authorities and the state Public Works, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh to take immediate action so that the problem will not recur.

At the same time, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage would carry out works to pump out floodwaters from the affected areas.

"The DID will also improve the pumping system to accommodate the higher water capacity," he said.

The heavy rain since 12.30 pm resulted in several main roads in the city being inundated, such as Jalan Ayer Molek, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Jalan Kolam Air and Jalan Yahya Awal.

About 500 vehicles were submerged in the water, while Kampung Baru Mohd Amin was among the areas flooded, but there was no evacuation.