KUALA LUMPUR: If the Smart Tunnel had not been activated to its full capacity yesterday, an area covering 15ha in the city centre -- the size of 20 football fields -- could have been underwater.

Department of Irrigation and Drainage director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali said this while coming to the defence of the Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel (SMART Tunnel) system, adding 3 million cubic metre of water that could have inundated a 1km radius from Masjid Jamek, was diverted in time.