Penang mainland flood victims cry foul

BUTTERWORTH: Residents of Taman Cantik and Taman Bagan here are crying foul after suffering from three flash floods since last Monday.
The latest to affect them was on Tuesday evening when heavy rain fell in various locations around Penang.
A spokesman for Taman Cantik, Lim Chiew Lai, 53, said he and his wife have been cleaning his home non-stop since March 20.
He said he had commissioned two walls, about 30cm tall, at the front and back of his house but to no avail as the water still continued to pour in.
"My house becomes a swimming pool when it rains heavily," he said when met by reporters today in the area where there are 250 houses while Taman Bagan has 100 houses.
Lim said the problem has been getting worse since he moved in 20 years ago as his house would only be flooded after two hours of rain then.
"Now the water comes in after just 15 minutes of rain," he said and called upon the state government to address the issue.
The DAP Taman Bagan branch secretary said residents were told a tidal gate and a water pump was installed in 2015 but these did not seem to help.
"I am unable to answer when people ask me what can I do," he added.
When contacted, Penang Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman and Bagan Jermal assemblyman Lim Hock Seng said the pump was functioning.
He however said the pump could not cope with the amount of water as rainfall was very heavy.
The rain on Tuesday evening which started at 6pm also caused flashfloods in several parts of Penang island.