Huge clean-up needed in Penang
It could have been a freak of nature, a climate change factor or just plain human greed and bad planning. Whatever the reason, hard questions need to be asked.
PULAU Pinang took a beating, became worn out and almost useless. Then, in the new millenium it was reborn and was running fine but it is now in trouble again. The recent storm has only made things worse. It is now in dire need of repair.
I am, of course, talking about the ferry named Pulau Pinang.
You see, Pulau Pinang and Pulau Langkawi were among the first of the modern-day ferries to ply the channel between the island and the mainland of Penang but with age, wear and tear, they had to be scrapped sometime in the 1980 or 90s.
A new ferry commissioned in 2002 was then christened Pulau Pinang. Pulau Langkawi has yet to make a reappearance.
The ferry called Pulau Pinang has now become the icon of the massive floods that hit the state on Nov 4. Huge waves lifted the ferry and slammed it to solid ground. I am told it has been refloated but it will be a while yet before it is up and running again.
The story of the ferry is much like the story of the state itself.
In the 90s and early in the new millenium, Penangites felt there was much going wrong in their state. They felt the leadership was floundering and plans to develop Penang Hill had them up in arms.
In 2008, there was a change of leadership and many were pleased. They felt that things got more efficient, the streets were cleaner and the people of Kampung Buah Pala – save for a few rebels – got new homes. All was well.
In recent times though, there have been more rumblings – both among the people and up on the hills. Development seems to be rampant, hillslopes are reportedly going bald, and prices of houses are skyrocketing.
A recent landslide (or worksite accident) left 11 dead and the storm and floods that hit on Sunday led to the death of seven people, something quite unprecedented in Penang.
To be fair, it was something of a perfect storm. Everything that could go wrong did.
Weather warnings were not broadcast on time, the record downpour lasted 15 hours, bringing with it rain that would usually fall over a month and a half. The drains and waterways could not handle it. It was full moon’s day and the time of the spring tide. Water from the sea was rushing into both the island and the mainland. There was no way out for the rainwater. The rivers overflowed. Houses were inundated, furniture and appliances were destroyed, cars were carried away. And people drowned.
It could have been a freak of nature, a harbinger of climate change that is bringing typhoons to this region, or something like that. But it was also exacerbated by human hands – the rampant development. Tanjung Bungah, Fettes Park, Vale of Tempe – they all sport a different face now. The rolling hills and the forested look are gone, a glut of high-rise buildings mar the landscape. That could have been a cause.
All over the island, people were affected. It was astonishing to see parts of the Kek Lok Si temple damaged. It is on very high ground.
Relatives living in Jalan Satu in Ayer Itam, not far from Kampung Melayu, woke up at 2am to see their refrigerator and washing machine floating around the house. All the furniture was damaged. It is a single-storey bungalow and there was no way of rescuing anything. Two cars parked in the porch were crocked, too.
It was the first time floodwaters entered the house in the 40-odd years that they have lived there. It will take a while before things get back to normal.
Things went awfully wrong this time around. The authorities need to relook their priorities. If it was clogged drains, these need to be cleared. If it was just the weather, early warning systems have to be in place. And if it was the rampant development, these need to be halted, or at least rationalised.
And who in his right mind would allow a home for the old and infirm in Caunter Hall (Jalan P. Ramlee to the younger ones)? That place is always the first to flood when it rains. Heck, we even had a guy called Kura-Kura (tortoise) living there. He revelled in the floodwaters.
But old folk housed there? Bad choice of location.
On the mainland, friends tell of how the rain stopped, and then, the waters rose. It seems the rivers brought the flood water from Kedah and the northern part of Penang right down to central Seberang Perai. Bukit Mertajam and Juru were hit badly, with water rising to more than 3m. Again, everything in the houses was gone. They have to start rebuilding their lives.
As I write this, the streets of Penang are piled with mountains of rubbish.
The state is in need of one hell of a clean-up job.