Although the village of Manchis near the Pahang-Negri Sembilan border had been largely spared from the country’s worst floods in recent memory, he noted how the main road, Jalan Manchis, had been hit by a deluge of mud, rocks and logs.
The deluge was a result of Pahang’s well-documented forest clearing for agricultural and logging activities, he said.
“If we look at Jalan Manchis, all the houses are flattened. This is not a normal flood. I call this a timber tsunami,” Wong told FMT.
“The last flood we had like this was 50 years ago in the early 1970s, when I was a young boy in primary school here.
“There have been some floods here over the past two years, and while they have not been as severe, they were accompanied by a flood of mud and logs. Why is that? That’s not normal.”
The floods, which have been described as the worst to hit Malaysia since 1971, have been especially deadly in Selangor and Pahang. As of 2pm today, there were 25 flood-related deaths recorded in Selangor and 20 in Pahang.
Earlier today, Bernama reported that the search and rescue mission for another victim feared to have been swept away by river currents at a chalet in Bentong on Dec 18 is still ongoing. Two bodies have been found so far.
Last week, Wong took a video after the floods hit Pahang, standing on a bridge overlooking Sungai Kerau in Manchis, that was filled with logs.
He demanded answers from the state government and the forestry department.
“Where is all this timber from? Why have all the highways been blocked with wood? Leaders have to be transparent and answer to the rakyat,” he said in the video.
FMT has reached out to Bentong district officer Mohd Zulkifli Hashim and the Pahang forestry department for comments.
Touching on the video, Wong said it showed how climate change and unsustainable approaches to land clearing had seen “ordinary people losing everything”.
“Many of them are still cleaning up despite this being the ninth day since the floods hit,” he said.
“If you come to the village (Manchis) now, every street is piled up with household furniture and clothing. Ordinary people have suffered the most, but I hardly see any serious help.
“We need a lot of help, not just for one or two weeks. Rebuilding this community will be a long-term effort.”