GE15: Veteran lawyer, activist Hassan Karim pledges to make Pasir Gudang flash flood-free
PASIR GUDANG, Nov 10 — Pakatan Harapan‘s (PH) 15th general election (GE15) candidate for Pasir Gudang Hassan Abdul Karim pledged to turn the constituency into a “zero flash flood” area in all the villages involved, if he is re-elected in the coming polls.
The incumbent parliamentarian explained that flash flooding often occurs in the villages here whenever there are high tides and downpours as Pasir Gudang is located near the sea.
“Among the areas still hit by flash floods is Kampung Belantik, which is next to Kampung Majidee in Johor Baru.
“When Pakatan Harapan (PH) formed the Johor government, we managed to fix the sluice problem which was the cause of flooding.
“With that, the flooding problems in Kampung Belantik and Kampung Ubi did not occur again for a while.
“However, when the PH government fell in Johor, the villages were neglected and their plight ignored,” said Hassan when met by reporters while campaigning at KipMall Masai here.
The 71-year-old veteran lawyer and activist was commenting on flash flooding that of late has become a recurring problem in parts of south Johor.
Hassan was confident that the issue can be solved with the cooperation of the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), the Pasir Gudang City Council and Johor Baru City Council.
At the same time, he also wants to solve the same flash flooding problem in Kampung Sepakat in Masai which originates from Sungai Masai, as well as in Kampung Saujana Baru and Kampung Pandan which are both located near the river.
“Every time there is heavy rain, Sungai Masai will overflow and flood Kampung Sepakat and parts of Masai town.
“In order to solve this problem, the community representatives, local authorities and the relevant parties need to sit down to discuss,” he said.
Hassan, who was also the Johor PKR chief, said during his four years as the Pasir Gudang MP, he was relieved to be able to solve the problem in Kampung Sungai Rinting D which had been the cause of flash flooding involving the Pasir Gudang Highway.
He said that the position of the village was low and every time there was high tide and heavy rains, there would be sudden flash floods. The water from the nearby river would also overflow and enter the highway area.
“What we are doing in collaboration with DID is straightening the river, including deepening and widening it. In addition to that, we need to also clear the landslips that restrict the water flow.
“However, I am still not satisfied and worry every time it rains heavily because flash floods on the highway will cause the road to be cut off and submerged vehicles damaged,” he said.
Hassan said if he is re-elected as the Pasir Gudang MP, he will start work with the relevant parties to deepen the river to alleviate the flash flooding problem here.
He added that the problem needs to be urgently looked into.
Hassan is expected to face off with Barisan Nasional’s Noor Azleen Ambros, Gerakan Tanah Air’s Muhammad Raffi Beran and Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Farid Abdul Razak in a four-cornered contest for GE15.
