KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 -- The flash floods that hit several areas in Petaling Jaya on Saturday were likely caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall over a short period, which exceeded the capacity of existing drainage systems, according to Selangor Infrastructure and Agriculture Committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim.

Izham said preliminary assessments also pointed to localised factors as contributing to the flooding despite various flood mitigation measures, including the construction of the FAS Tunnel.

"Besides unusually heavy rainfall over a short period, local factors such as narrowed drainage channels, obstructions to water flow and the increase in paved surfaces have resulted in higher surface water runoff," he told Astro Awani yester...