IPOH: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has been urged to always inform the district councils in the state when releasing water from its hydroelectric dams.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said there had been an oversight by TNB, which failed to inform the relevant district councils downstream, after releasing water from the Chenderoh Dam recently.
Saarani said the people living downstream became flash flood victims due to the incident.
“They should have informed the people not only in Kuala Kangsar but also in Perak Tengah and Hilir Perak.
“This is so that the people can estimate when the surge of water would arrive in their areas, giving them some time to prepare themselves,” he said in a press conference during his visit to the temporary shelter at SK Lasah in Sungai Siput on Tuesday (Oct 15).
“Some people were surprised by the sudden deluge,” he said, adding that a similar incident occurred in 2014, with TNB failing to inform the relevant district councils after releasing water from the Temengor and Kenering Dams.
“We hope this communication issue can be looked into,” he added.
Saarani was asked to comment on several videos that have gone viral on social media, claiming that water that was released from the Chenderoh Dam had caused the water level of Sungai Perak to rise and inundated several areas.
Saarani also said he does not blame TNB as they have acted during an urgent situation.
“I understand that the water needs to be released, as they cannot keep the water for too long, to prevent the dam from breaking.
“If TNB can inform early, even though it was during an emergency, it will allow the district councils and people to prepare,” he said.
“Let’s hope that it will be a lesson learned as there needs to be coordination with the relevant district councils,” he said, adding that the water levels at the Temengor and Bersia Dams are now at normal levels, while the Kenering and Chenderoh Dams are at warning level.
On its TNB CareLine Facebook page, the utility company stated that they have released the water in a controlled manner.
It said that the water from the Chenderoh Dam was released to ensure a balance between the inflow and outflow of water due to the increase in water level from continuous rainfall in the vast catchment area.
“We work closely with local authorities and related agencies to ensure the process of releasing water is done in a controlled manner and based on standard operating procedures for the safety of the public,” it added.
