“The real story isn’t the floods we see. It’s the hundreds of floods we never see, thanks to the system and the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us safe.”
FOR the past two days, Kuala Lumpur has been battered by relentless rain, turning roads into rivers and leaving traffic crawling across the city. Social media has been flooded with complaints from frustrated commuters.
Amid the chaos, one Malaysian took to social media to offer a different perspective — shining a light on the often unseen efforts that keep the city running even during KL’s notoriously flood-prone weather.
In an almost two-minute video, Tim Tiah breaks it down: Kuala Lumpur receives more rainfall than most Southeast Asian cities — about 2,400mm to 2,600mm a year.
“That’s more than Singapore, Manila, more than Jakarta,” he points out.
But KL’s flood defence isn’t luck — it’s a system working in layers:
- Hidden retention ponds in neighbourhoods
- Bypass channels running under highways
- Automated river gates that respond to sensors
- Pumping stations that activate before water reaches the streets
- The SMART Tunnel
“Most people never see this network, but it works every single time it rains,” Tim says.
He stresses that the real key is maintenance. “Even the best systems fail if drains are clogged, monsoon channels aren’t cleared, or retention ponds aren’t maintained.”
He also gives a shoutout to KL’s unsung heroes: the army of government workers behind the scenes making sure the city doesn’t turn into Venice every storm.
“The real story isn’t the floods we see. It’s the hundreds of floods we never see, thanks to the system and the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us safe.”
The video struck a chord with netizens.
One former team member chimed in:
“…agreed… I was part of the team. If only people don’t throw plastic into the drains, we could prevent a lot of these floods.”
Jalan Sambung Dalam reminded viewers of how much has changed:
“People who haven’t lived here before the SMART Tunnel was built don’t realise how bad it was years ago.”
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