Two innovations helped overcome standing floodwaters in Bukit Changgang

KUALA LUMPUR: Two new innovations have helped overcome the issue of standing floodwaters in Bukit Changgang, Banting, Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Ir Dr Zaini Ujang said.

The two innovations in channeling and evaporation technology were introduced by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage and the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM).

"The standing floodwaters in Bukit Changgang were due to water from the river being unable to flow out to sea, resulting in it pooling there and finally overflowing into residential areas.

"Alhamdulillah, after six days, the standing flood was finally resolved using these innovative methods," he said during the Ruang Bicara programme by Bernama TV entitled 'Flood Disaster: How To Reduce Risks?'.

Zaini said the channeling innovation aimed to direct standing floodwaters to a collection area before being channeled into nearby rivers when water levels receded.

"It can be set up in open areas or using existing canals that have been expanded in size and depth. A high capacity water pump is required to drain the standing waters into the canal," he said.

According to him, the evaporator innovation aimed to force standing waters to transition from liquid to vapour and required a pump to produce high pressure through the use of nozzles capable of producing water vapour.

"The benefits of the evaporator is it reduces the volume of standing floodwaters but it is slow in terms of draining the flood area compared the channeling method," he said.

The use of both innovations had led to the near-complete reduction in standing floodwaters in Bukit Changgang that had previously affected 149 families in the area.

As of 6 pm, he said, 68 families were able to return to their own homes, while the remaining families were engaged in cleaning their houses.

Zaini said the evaporator innovation had previously been used to tackle flash floods in Batu Pahat, Johor last August.

-- BERNAMA