KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — A total of 19,591 people remained at evacuation centres in five flood-hit states in the peninsula as of 1pm, according to statistics gleaned from the Social Welfare Department portal.

While the number of evacuees dropped slightly in Johor and Terengganu, it rose in Pahang, Perak and Kelantan.

Pahang had the highest number of evacuees at 10,739. They are being accommodated at 201 evacuation or relief centres in nine districts, of which Kuantan is the worst-affected with 3,276 evacuees.

Maran district had 1,895 evacuees at relief centres: Raub, 1,493; Jerantut, 1,259; Lipis, 1,119; Rompin, 742; Temerloh, 605; Bentong, 215 and Pekan, 135.

Several rivers in Pahang have breached the danger level, among them Sungai Jelai in Jeram Bungor and Kuala Medang, Lipis; Sungai Tembeling in Kuala Tahan; Sungai Pahang in Sungai Yap, Jerantut; and Sungai Kuantan in Pasir Kemudi and Pintasan Kuantan as well as Sungai Lepar at Jambatan Gelugor, all in Kuantan; Sungai Lipis in Batu Malim, Raub and Sungai Chini and Sungai Pahang in Paloh Hinai, Pekan.

In Perak, the number of evacuees rose to 894 from 615 this morning.

A spokesman of the Perak Fire & Rescue Department said 124 people in the Hilir Perak district had been moved to the relief centre at the Teluk Intan Municipal Council (MPTI) hall in Langkap; 101 to the MPTI hall in Teluk Intan; 129 to the Chikus Multipurpose Hall and 29 to the Kampung Tanjung Keramat hall in Langkap.

"These evacuees are residents of the flooded Kampung SC Ayer Hitam; Kampung Tengah Ayer Hitam; Kampung Belt Parit 1-8; Kampung Sungai Rambai; Kampung Batu Pecah; Kampung Belakang Kedai Degong and Chikus town,” he said in a statement.

He also said that 27 evacuees from Kampung Batu 20 remained at a hall in the village in the Kampar district while 26 people from Kampung Pasir Kuala Dipang were at the relief centre at the Dato Azman Mahalan hall.

In the Muallim district, 458 evacuees remained at five relief centres in Slim River while three relief centres, namely Kampung Pauh in Tanjung Malim; Kampung Pasir hall and Surau An-Nur Hidayah, Ulu Slim, were closed.

In Kelantan, the number of people evacuated to the relief centres in Gua Musang rose to 322 from 296 this morning.

According to the Social Welfare Department portal, a third relief centre had been opened at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Limau Kasturi 2.

The infobanjir.water.gov.my portal reported that the level of Sungai Galas at Limau Kasturi, Gua Musang, was 60.55 metres, above the danger point of 59 metres.

In Terengganu, the situation in the flood-hit areas improved slightly and the number of evacuees dropped to 645 from 815 earlier in the day.

Head of the State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat, Lt Col (PA) Che Adam A Rahman, said the number of districts affected remained at two, namely Kemaman and Dungun, and the evacuees were housed at seven relief centres.

"In Kemaman, the number of evacuees dropped to 445 and in Dungun, to 200,” he said.

Terengganu is experiencing a drizzle which at times becomes heavy, especially in the Kemaman district.

Johor also saw a slight drop in the number of evacuees, to 6,991 from 7,112 in the morning.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said Kluang district had the highest number of evacuees at 2,376, followed by Kota Tinggi (2,029); Johor Baru (1,279); Kulai (585); Mersing (520); Segamat (84); Batu Pahat (71) and Pontian (47).

"Sixty-eight relief centres were opened in the state, with 20 in Kota Tinggi; 19 in Kluang; 10 in Johor Bahru; six in Mersing; five in Kulai; three each in Segamat and Pontian, and two in Batu Pahat,” he said in a statement.

According to the Public Works Department (JKR), several stretches of federal and state roads have been closed due to the floods in the Kota Tinggi district.

They are Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing (Kubu), Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing (Batu 16), Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing (Risda), Jalan Kota Tinggi-Kluang (Arked Mara), Jalan Lok Heng/Mawai/Sungai Mas (Jambatan Sungai Semalok), Jalan Tai Hong, Jalan Tai Hong, Jalan Tun Sri Lanang, Jalan Semanggar (bridge), Jalan Mawai Lama, Jalan Kampung Kelantan/Kampung Panti and Jalan Sungai Telor. — Bernama