THE national weather agency has warned of continuous heavy rain across large parts of the country until Thursday, with several districts in Pahang placed under the most critical “danger” level alert amid growing flood risks.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) said prolonged and intense rainfall could lead to flooding, particularly in low-lying and riverine areas.
The highest-level warning has been issued for the districts of Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin in Pahang, where very heavy and continuous rain is forecast.
A “severe” warning, indicating the likelihood of heavy and persistent rain, is in effect for Dungun and Kemaman in Terengganu, as well as Jerantut, Maran and Bera in Pahang, and Segamat and Kota Tinggi in Johor.
A lower-level “alert” warning for continuous rain has also been issued for a wider area, covering the entire states of Kelantan and Melaka, along with Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Several additional districts in Johor and Pahang are also included.
Despite most major rivers remaining below danger levels as of Wednesday morning, water levels are showing an upward trend, raising concerns of further flooding.
According to the River Water Level Schedule issued by the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, Sungai Muar at Kampung Awat in Segamat recorded the highest reading at 19.41 metres, close to the danger level of 19.95 metres. A similar situation was reported at Sungai Segamat Kecil, where the water level reached 36.72 metres compared with the danger threshold of 37.20 metres.
“In the Tangkak district, several locations along Sungai Muar and Sungai Kesang have also shown rising water levels.
“Among them are Sungai Muar at Simpang 5 Darat, which recorded a reading of 4.55 metres, while Sungai Kesang at Kampung Seri Makmor registered a water level of 3.16 metres,” an official said in a statement.
In Kluang, Sungai Melantai at Kampung Bentong stood at 20.81 metres, nearing its danger level of 21.60 metres. In Mersing, Sungai Endau at Kampung Labong and Sungai Tenglu Kecil recorded rising levels of 1.83 metres and 1.31 metres respectively.
Other locations, including Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi and Muar, also recorded increasing river levels, although they remain within controlled limits.
As flooding intensified in some areas, the Sekolah Kebangsaan Pusat Air Tawar Endau temporary evacuation centre became the first relief centre to open in Johor after continuous rain lasting two hours early Wednesday.
According to the State Disaster Management Committee, 120 flood victims from 11 families in Kampung Hubong and Kampung Air Tawar had been evacuated to the centre as of 8am.
In Kuantan, 150 flood victims sheltering at the Seri Damai Community Hall evacuation centre were moved late Tuesday night to Sekolah Kebangsaan Jaya Ganding after floodwaters began encroaching on the hall.
The Pahang Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said the evacuation began at 11pm.
“All victims were relocated as the evacuation centre itself was at risk of being flooded. In addition, the number of residents housed there had increased to the point that the hall could no longer accommodate the growing number of evacuees,” the statement said.
All victims were transported using vehicles from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Force, with the relocation completed before midnight. The Seri Damai centre had been operating since 6.45am on Tuesday and was sheltering residents from the surrounding village.
Kampung Seri Damai resident Nurul Fatin Nabila Abdullah, 24, said they were informed at about 8pm that they would have to move to another evacuation centre for safety reasons.
“We complied with the instructions and immediately packed our belongings to move because this area is also likely to be flooded. Right now, the water is rising and all roads leading here are already submerged,” she said.
Another victim, Fazli Md Nor, 65, said Kampung Seri Damai is frequently hit by floods due to its proximity to Sungai Belat.
“Every monsoon season, this village will be flooded because it lies along a natural water flow route,” he said.
Housewife Esah Mamat, 64, said residents had made early preparations in anticipation of flooding.
“We have already packed up and moved household items to safer places because we know that if the rain is heavy and continuous, our homes will be submerged,” she said.
As of 8am on Wednesday, a total of 2,028 flood victims from 627 families in two districts in Pahang had been relocated to 16 evacuation centres.
Kuantan recorded the highest number of evacuees, with 1,953 people housed across 13 centres, while Maran recorded 74 victims from 19 families sheltering at two evacuation centres. - December 17, 2025
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