PUTRAJAYA: The recent flash floods in Penang are a result of uncontrollable development in the state, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The Natural Resources and Environment Minister said that rapid development, especially along river banks, caused problems to the drainage system, which should have been looked into by the state government and local council.
He said mitigation plans would not be adequate to prevent floods if development projects, along the banks in particular, were not controlled.
“Instead of thinking about profit, the state government should have considered sustainable development.
“It could have also used the profit it got from developers to implement its own flood mitigation plan, rather than pointing fingers at the Federal Government,” Dr Wan Junaidi said at a press conference after the ministry’s monthly assembly yesterday.
The minister said a study found that the present size of the Sungai Pinang river could not sustain heavy flows of water when there was heavy rain.
The river should be upgraded by deepening, widening and stabilising its banks so that it can accommodate such water flows for at least 100 years, he said.
On Tuesday, Dr Wan Junaidi announced in the Dewan Rakyat that RM150mil would be allocated for flood mitigation in Penang although the state had asked for RM350mil.
Penang had seen a deluge of flash floods and landslides four times in recent days, the latest being on Monday when the main road connecting the city and Teluk Bahang had to be closed to traffic due to a landslide along Jalan Ujung Batu.
On the alleged pollution of Sungai Giling in Kampung Batu Laut, Sepang, from pig faeces, Dr Wan Junaidi said the ministry will wait for a full report from the Department of Environment before taking action.
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