After a heavy downpour that began just before 4pm today (25 April 2022), the Klang Valley was soon hit with overflowing water again that consumed the roadways.
The situation was made worse by the fact that many Muslim commuters were caught in the heavy traffic and rising water levels while heading home early from work having already endured a full day of fasting.
At 3.41pm this afternoon, Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s Integrated Transport Information System shared that the city centre was experiencing heavy rainfall in certain locations. Meanwhile, earlier in the afternoon, the Malaysian Meteorological Department had issued a thunderstorm warning for locales in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, and Pahang.
But not Kuala Lumpur or Selangor.
In addition to officially published photos of inundated vehicles along Jalan Kuching, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Semantan, and Jalan Travers, many citizens took to social media to share the sudden floods from their own perspectives.
This is the third time such an occurrence has plagued the most populated area in Malaysia over the past 5 months, but despite many promises that the situation will be rectified, the area’s poor drainage system and overdevelopment have been put sharply into focus.
For those familiar with the weather patterns here, it must have come as little surprise that the volume and ferocity of the deluge quickly led to floods. The sight of muddy water, floating garbage, and partially or fully submerged vehicles have become a familiar one to Klang Valley dwellers.
The heavy rain and thunderstorm only lasted between 60 to 90 minutes depending on location, so it was not enough to trigger the full closure of the SMART tunnel. Still, it was plenty to prove that Kuala Lumpur’s flooding problem is more complex than just displacing water in sheer volume.