KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — The Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra) expects the flood mitigation project to be completed as early as a year ahead of schedule, with support from various parties.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said Petra remains committed to expediting flood mitigation initiatives to address the growing risk of floods, particularly in disaster-prone areas.
“The Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) is exploring ways to fast-track the project while ensuring efficiency in both duration and cost,” he said.
“Among the proposals taken is that all matters including land acquisition and the design process will be reviewed to accelerate the project completion period,” said Fadillah who is also energy transition and water transformation minister, during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a question from Datuk Dr Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus) regarding the ministry’s actions following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for flood mitigation projects to be expedited. He also addressed concerns about the latest costs the government must bear, given that the project approval process was cancelled at the end of 2022.
Elaborating, Fadillah said the government had reassessed proposed flood mitigation projects after 2022, prioritising critical areas based on administrative processes, contract allocations, and adherence to procurement procedures set by the Finance Ministry.
He said under the Fifth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan, 136 flood mitigation projects were approved, amounting to RM22.86 billion. Of these, 35 projects are in pre-implementation, while 73 are underway.
Responding to Alias’ supplementary question on the flood mitigation project in Sungai Golok, Kelantan, Fadillah said it remains in pre-implementation due to the involvement of multiple ministries and agencies.
“One of the key agencies is the National Security Council, which is planning to secure our borders by constructing a fence. To ensure a coordinated approach, the chief secretary to the government chaired a meeting involving both state and federal agencies to align plans for the flood mitigation project and border fencing.
“A clear direction has been established, with agreements reached and workshops conducted to strategise and determine the timeline for implementing this project in an integrated manner,” he said.
— Bernama
