LETTERS: THE Kelantan Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) needs better expertise in riverbank mitigation.
The riverbank break-up in Lancang and Pok Teh Kana demonstrated shortcomings that needed to be corrected by the Kelantan DID.
Any barrier in such areas should not allow any opening for drains or sewerage, including tributaries of rivers and creeks.
The DID should harness the tributaries by constructing dams. These dams should be closed whenever a river floods its banks. Some European countries have resorted to this method.
A river cruise along the Thames in London, the canals in Amsterdam and the Danube in Germany provides scenery without drains and sewerage, even though there are houses on both sides of the rivers.
The floods in Rantau Panjang have become a yearly problem since our neighbour started land development along the border of Sungai Golok.
Due to the development, Sungai Golok has swung to the banks of Rantau Panjang, meaning Sungai Golok currents have flooded Rantau Panjang ever since.
However, Sungai Golok on the Thai side has suffered too because they failed to construct dams to regulate floodwaters.
Thus, when floods occur, the water reverts to its original path and rushes through the drains and sewerage outlets.
The overflow water from Sungai Golok takes a long time to subside, while the overflow water in Rantau Panjang has dried up.
An Internet video picture shows how the town of Sungai Golok discharges floodwaters over the barrier. The excess water flows through the drains and sewerage outlets during the floods.
The federal government has allocated RM6 million for the state DID to repair the barrier. The DID should build dams along the barrier wall to control the overflow from Sungai Golok.
The dams will function as an additional barrier in the future.
ABDULLAH SANI ISMAIL
Tanah Merah, Kelantan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
