FLOODWATERS in Kuala Lumpur normally recede fast as the city has good drainage channels, said its mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz.

The city, he added, had 26 retention ponds and the world’s first-of-its-kind dual-purpose tunnel – the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) – which is an award-winning project to manage floods and relieve traffic in Kuala Lumpur at the same time.

“Because we have a good drainage system, floods would usually clear up within 30 minutes,” he said when asked about Wednesday’s flash floods in the city.

Amin Nordin, however, said no matter what system was in place, flash floods were bound to happen if the rain was very heavy and lasted for a long time.

“No matter what system is in place, it would not be able to withstand such rainfall.

“If you see other countries in the world, it is the same,” he said after launching the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Titiwangsa Paddock yesterday.

Amin Nordin said if the water rose beyond 60mm in an hour, it was bound to cause floods.

“The water level in the river will rise and the drains will be full, so the water will overflow to the roads,” he said.

He believed that new drains would also not help the situation if the rainwater was beyond the capacity of the drains.

“If we do another SMART tunnel but it rains non-stop for two hours, can you do anything about it?

“We cannot do anything as there would be a back-flow of water,” he said, pointing out that Kuala Lumpur was in a valley.

He denied that flash floods occurred because of drainage problem and over-development in Kuala Lumpur.

Amin Nordin also said that DBKL would call for tenders for flood mitigation projects this year to combat the problem.

“We will build a tunnel to channel water from the Jalan Duta area to Tasik Perdana and a retention pond at Universiti Malaya.

“The projects will start this year and is under the tendering process now,” he said.

He added that DBKL was working with the Irrigation and Drainage Department and other agencies to ensure the flood situation is under control.