PETALING JAYA, Nov 9 – The Health Ministry is ready with some 50 medical personnel for any possibilities following floods in Cameron Highlands. Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said detailed preparations were made since the day of the incident in order to avoid the spread of any diseases in the popular tourist destination.

“The health team and other teams are helping victims at relief centres and all medical teams are on standby at Tanah Rata Hospital and nearby clinics,” he told reporters here Sunday. He said this after attending the closing ceremony of the Indian Community and Government Strategic Leadership Seminar organised by the Special Implementation Task Force (SITF), Cabinet Committee on Indian Community, Prime Minister’s Department.

Dr Subramaniam also asked the public to be more concerned and responsible towards their surrounding to avoid such incidents from recurring. “I was told that the river is full of solid waste and garbage, which is a reason for the floods. We really need awareness among the community,” he added. He stressed that most of the issues in Cameron Highlands, including floods and landslides, were a result of illegal activities by unscrupulous individuals.

“If the government says no to chopping down trees, the people must abide. Illegal activities such as logging will make a big impact in the next five to 10 years,” he said. In the 6.30pm incident last Wednesday, residents living by Sungai Bertam, near here, were ordered to evacuate their homes when water from the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam was released in stages following its increasing levels due to heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, Ringlet town was also hit by flash floods when water from a nearby river overflowed after an hour of heavy rainfall. Five people were killed in the incident while five others were injured.

Pocket News

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