Heavy rain and a high tide caused flash floods at 10 locations across Penang island, with water levels reaching up to 500mm at Lorong Kulit.
GEORGE TOWN: Heavy rain coinciding with a high tide triggered flash floods at 10 locations across Penang island today, with water levels reaching about 500mm at Lorong Kulit, according to the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
The council said continuous rain from about midnight until noon caused flooding in low-lying areas in the Timur Laut and Barat Daya districts.
“The continuous heavy rain was further exacerbated by a high tide phenomenon that began at midnight on Oct 25, 2026.
“The combination of heavy rain and the high tide caused water levels to rise in the Sungai Pinang drainage basin (DTL), as well as river backflow into low-lying areas, particularly in the Timur Laut district,” MBPP said in a statement today.
Rainfall exceeding 60mm was recorded at several Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) stations, with the highest reading of 117mm at the Kolam Bersih station, followed by 97.5mm at Kolam Air Itam and 83mm at Jalan Gangsa.
Other DID stations recorded 76.5mm at Jalan Scotland, 73mm at Lengkok Sungai Emas, 71.5mm at Empangan Teluk Bahang and 50.5mm at Pintu Bagan Air Itam.
Apart from Lorong Kulit, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Kampung Relau, Jalan Patani, Lilitan Stadium and Kampung Masjid Hashim Yahya in Timur Laut recorded floodwaters of about 300mm, while Lintang P. Ramlee was inundated by about 200mm of water.
In the Barat Daya district, Kampung Sulup, Kampung Masjid and Kampung Paya were each inundated by about 300mm of water.
MBPP said it had immediately carried out cleaning works in the affected areas, including drainage systems.
For the longer term, the council said DID was implementing the Sungai Pinang Flood Mitigation Project in the Timur Laut district, which is expected to significantly reduce flooding at hotspots within the Sungai Pinang basin.
Phase One of the RM114.8 million project was 50.86 per cent complete as of September and is scheduled for completion on Sept 20, 2027.
The project involves widening and deepening a 1.4km stretch of Sungai Pinang, constructing a 1.02km parallel drain, building drainage and weir structures, upgrading outlet systems, and constructing bridges and a pump house to improve drainage capacity and reduce flood risks.
On Oct 19, Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad said RM8 million had been allocated for river conservation and short-term flood mitigation works in Penang this year, including RM450,000 for approved works in Jelutong, which are expected to be completed by December.