While the total number of flood victims in Kedah is declining, the number of victims in the district of Kota Setar is rising with more people being evacuated to the relief centres this evening.

The number of victims in the district of Kubang Pasu is unchanged while the number of evacuees in the districts of Pokok Sena and Pendang is dropping.

As at 4pm today, there were 31,712 victims from 7,856 families being sheltered at 83 relief centres in the four districts concerned.

A spokesman of the Flood Operations Room of the National Security Council, at Alor Setar said that in the district of Kota Setar, the number of victims evacuated had risen to 21,116 from 5,060 families compared with 21,058 victims this morning.

The number of victims at the relief centres in Kubang Pasu remained at 9,531 from 2,591 families while the number of victims in Pokok Sena dropped to 1,003 from 143 families and in Pendang, there were 242 victims involving 62 families.

The spokesman said that of the 83 relief centres that were still open, 45 were in the district of Kota Setar, 34 in Kubang Pasu, three in Pokok Sena and one in Pendang.

  Fully operational soon

Meanwhile, Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada) chief executive officer Datuk Adzmi Din said to date, the water treatment plant in Bukit Pinang was operating at 75 percent capacity while Sada was endeavouring to enable the plant to operate at 100 per cent.

"We expect the plant to be fully operational in a day or two when water supply can be channelled to all areas," he said today.

He said 11 areas in the Kota Setar district and several areas in the district of Pokok Sena had yet to receive their water supply fully while in Padang Terap, the water supply problem had been completely resolved.

"We will endeavour to resume the water supply as soon as possible so that all residents could receive clean water supply quickly," he said.

 Declining numbers

Meanwhile in Perlis, the number of victims sheltered at the relief centres in the state was declining.

As at 6.30pm today, the number of victims seeking shelter at the 32 relief centres stood at 7,701 involving 1,135 families compared with 8,645 victims from 1,217 families at 1.30pm.

The flood in Kangar town had almost receded completely and all roads in the town had been reopened to all traffic.

Meanwhile, Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu and State Secretary Datuk Azizan Hamid conducted normal inspections at the flood evacuation centres.

Both of them visited the relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Datuk Wan Ahmad, near Kota Setar.

Schools still closed

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Flood Operations Room of the Kedah Education Department said about 30 schools in Kota Setar were still closed as they were flooded while some had been turned into relief centres.

The spokesman said eight schools in Kubang Pasu were still closed, of which four were being turned into relief centres while the other four were still inundated.

However, all schools in Padang Terap had been reopened for classes as usual.

As of this evening, only one road was still closed, namely Jalan Jitra-Sungai Korok while five roads in the district of Kota Setar and two roads in Kubang Pasu were flooded.

  Single lane

Meanwhile, a single lane for both directions at Km28 of the North-South Expressway which had been closed previously had been reopened.

Meanwhile in Perlis, the number of victims sheltered at the relief centres in the state was declining.

As at 6.30pm today, the number of victims seeking shelter at the 32 relief centres stood at 7,701 involving 1,135 families compared with 8,645 victims from 1,217 families at 1.30pm.

The flood in Kangar town had almost receded completely and all roads in the town had been reopened to all traffic.

Meanwhile, Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu and State Secretary Datuk Azizan Hamid conducted normal inspections at the flood evacuation centres.

Both of them visited the relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Datuk Wan Ahmad, near here.

- Bernama