KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — Most flash floods that occur in the country are due to sanitation issues such as clogged drains and drainage systems, said Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu.
She said the matter required public awareness at the community level to jointly address the issue of flash floods.
“It is a wake-up call… The recent flood in Kuala Lumpur…the real issue is clogged drains, so if we can increase public awareness (on the importance of cleanliness), that would be great,” she said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was answering a supplementary question by Wan Razali Wan Nor (PN-Kuantan) on findings by the Housing and Local Government Ministry and (KPKT) other government agencies to resolve the flood issue in the long term.
Responding to Wan Razali’s question who asked whether the KPKT will use a drainage system or water diversion technology like the one used in Japan to overcome flash floods, Aiman Athirah said it was being considered.
“It costs quite a lot of money, but that’s okay because that is something we pay attention to from time to time to improve our work in dealing with the problem of flash floods,” she said.
To strengthen flash flood management, Aiman Athirah said the government has allocated funds to local authorities to upgrade drainage systems in flood hotspots.
She said these include projects to maintain flood reservoirs and drainage systems, with costs of RM50 million and RM20 million, respectively, for this year.
— Bernama
