Bandar Seri Begawan - A sudden cloud burst Saturday night, which was relatively big compared to other heavy downpours in October, left at least 20 areas in the country to experience flash floods and was compounded by a surge in tide level, the Drainage Section of the Public Works Department (PWD) said.
In the Brunei-Muara District, flash floods occurred in Kg Menglait, road in front of Serusop shopping complex, Jln Manggis 1, Spg 160, Spg 261, Spg 394 in Jln Berakas, Spg 396 and Spg 714 in Jln Jerudong, Spg 382 and Spg 422 in Jln Subok, Spg 510 in Kg Belimbing, Kg Tanjung Bunut near Spg 53, Spg 127344 in Tanjong Bunut and in Jln Tanjong Nangka.



In Temburong, areas affected include Kg Senukuh, Kg Menengah, Kg Belais, Payabangangan, Batu Apoi, Kg Piasau-Piasau and Kg Rampayoh. The highest daily rainfall was recorded in Kg Sinarubai at 130mm, followed by Berakas with 125mm and PWD with 123mm.

The highest tide level of 1.9m was recorded at 5am on Sunday morning by the Marine Department.
The tide level rose to 1.5m between 8 and 11pm Saturday night.

The PWD monitored flood prone areas and observed flooding, especially during the rise in tide levels around midnight. Flash floods at some areas were due to high rainfall, which coincided with the high tide.
Some low-lying areas were badly affected.

Localised flooding on some roads took between 10 to 20 minutes to recede, which was mainly due to accumulation of dried leaves and rubbish.

So far, PWD has deployed the available resources to unblock and clear the drains.
The departments are working closely with other relevant agencies to monitor the flood situation.
On medium and long-term measures, the PWD is currently implementing various mitigation projects throughout the country.

The public is urged to cooperate with the government in an effort to reduce the impact of flooding by not throwing rubbish into the drains or rivers and by complying with regulations or guidelines implemented towards development activities. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
[Azlan Othman]