Govt to only give RM150mil for flood issues

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government can only fork out RM150mil for flood mitigation in Penang despite the state’s request for RM350mil.

The amount given is based on the Government’s ability to distribute flood mitigation allocations to Kelantan, Pahang, Sabah and Terengganu, as well as Penang.

“I cannot promise you more than that,” Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

He was responding to calls from several lawmakers from Penang who asked when the Federal Government would approve the state’s request of RM350mil for the Sg Pinang flood mitigation project.

Wan Junaidi said the state can still request for more in 2018.

He said that under Budget 2016, about RM700mil was allocated for flood mitigation while for Budget 2017, the ministry requested about RM400mil.

“A lot of states are asking for a lot of funds but nobody got 100% of what they asked for,” he told reporters when met at the lobby later.