Kuala Belait - Early morning downpour which occurred yesterday in the Belait District since 4am caused chaos after several main roads were inundated by flashfloods after several hours of heavy rains.

Among the highly affected areas included the Pekan Seria Mosque and one of the secondary schools in Kuala Belait where the water level had risen about three to 12 inches high causing difficulty for the public and students to enter the premises by foot while affected roads suffered from slow moving traffic.

At Belait Town, traffic congestion was seen along the four lane roads at Jalan Singa Menteri as half of the road was submerged by the flashflood. While at the nearby Jalan Singa Menteri monument roundabout, several parts of the roundabout and Mumong bypass were submerged by the flashflood due to overflowing from the nearby drain.

A resident at the government quarters in Jalan Singa Menteri when interviewed said, "I saw a lot of vehicles using the quarters' access road which was unusual for us. A section of the roads had been submerged by the flashfloods due to overflowing of the main drain at the roadside. This is the first time such flashfloods had occurred in the area. We suspect it is caused by the increasing number of earthmoving activities at the area."

A self accident also occurred around 7am at the Mumong bypass where a car heading to Kuala Belait skidded and landed at the roadside bushes. Fortunately the car driver escaped unhurt and the car only suffered slight damage.

Meanwhile at Seria Town, a similar event also occurred where several main roads, streets as well as part of Seria Town were affected by flashfloods. The flashfloods which coincided with the high tide situation also caused traffic congestion as road users were slowing their vehicles to avoid unnecessary incidents.

Police as well as fire rescue personnel were seen conducting patrols at the affected areas.

The flashfloods at Seria Town occurred two days after similar flashfloods occurred in the town on January 1.

By 11am all the affected 'areas in Kuala Belait and Seria were back to normal after the floodwater subsided.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin