BUKIT TINGGI: A massive flash flood caused by continuous heavy rain last night has caused the old trunk road from Genting Sempah to Janda Baik to be temporarily closed.
The 9pm incident saw mud and debris gushing down from the hill towards the lower section of Bukit Tinggi town, submerging vehicles, farms, shops and houses.
The town was almost fully covered in mud making it more difficult to access for the time being.
Bentong member of parliament Young Syefura Othman said cleanup works had begun after the flood waters receded but would take days, due to the severity of the incident.
"The trunk road from Genting Sempah to Janda baik has a crack and it's filled with residue from the floods. The road will be closed for five days, for remedial works" she wrote on Facebook.
She said only one road remained open and could be used to get to Kampung Janda Baik, from the old Bukit Tinggi road.
"That is the route leading to SMK Bukit Tinggi. The old road from Genting Sempah to Janda Baik is closed for 5 days for cleaning works.
"Meanwhile, the route from Bukit Tinggi Police Station to Janda Baik is temporarily closed until further notice due to cracks in the road due to flash floods that occurred last night," she shared via her post.
Young Syefura said she had an emergency meeting with Minister of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, district officer and other government agencies this morning.
"The meeting's outcomes included addressing the problem of the water head, which causes slope collapse, road damage, and damage to various property of residents and affected their daily activities, as a tourist area, and for JPS to conduct a comprehensive study on the necessary mitigation works for the entire Bentong District, particularly for high-risk areas such as Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik."
At the same time, she said immediate slope and road rehabilitation works, as well as river cleaning and dredging work would be carried out by JKR and JPS immediately, before a long-term rehabilitation plan is rolled out.
"I have also requested an immediate investigation to see if there is illegal deforestation/exploration of the forest reserve on the slopes and hills here, and whether there are any rain water pockets,/reservoir areas that have the potential to cause water heads every time there is heavy rain," she added.
Several videos of the horrific incident, which have gone viral on social media, showed muddy water washing through homes and vehicles, carrying debris and furniture.