Lau: The Sibu flood mitigation project which started in 2008 is still not complete.
THE Federal Government has been urged to ensure funds for flood mitigation projects throughout the country are allocated fairly.
Bawang Assan SUPP chairman Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew said flooding was not only a problem in the Klang Valley.
“I have to cite Sibu, situated along the longest river in Malaysia, which has faced flooding problems for a long time.
“The first flood mitigation project, which started in 2008, is incomplete.
“The bund along the river bank is not done,” he highlighted.
He said water still overflowed into low-lying areas.
Lau urged the Federal Government to be fair in the allocation of development funds.
“It should not be heavily skewed in favour of Klang Valley at the expense of other areas, especially the less developed states like Sarawak, Sabah and Kelantan,” he said.
He argued that phases four and five of Sibu’s flood mitigation project had been approved long ago but funds had not been allocated.
He hoped that Malaysia would see the start of a transformational shift in dealing with flooding as the situation would only get worse with climate change.
On flood mitigation funding, Lau noted there was a mismatch as insufficient funds were allocated but the cost of implementing such projects was high. — By ANDY CHUA
