KUALA LUMPUR: To prepare for floods during the northeast monsoon season next month, the Environment and Water Ministry is taking short-term, low-cost yet high-impact solutions.
Its minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said this included drainage maintenance, deepening rivers and raising river banks to reduce the impact of floods while long-term solutions are concurrently being taken.
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage has also prepared its assets in preparation for the floods, including 284 pumps, 203 vehicles, 35 boats, 995 telemetry stations in Peninsular Malaysia and 317 telemetry stations in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
There are also 526 warning sirens, 77 cameras, 605 river gauges and 966 area gauges to measure the depth of flooding at the site.
"The government's efforts to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the country, long-term measures through the implementation of the flood mitigation plan (RTB) will continue.
"A total of 100 RTB projects worth RM10.53bil have been approved under the 12th Malaysia Plan and are being implemented nationwide," he told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Oct 5).
Tuan Ibrahim added that the implementation of RTB projects will increase the number of people and areas protected from the effects of flooding.
He was answering a query by Raub MP Tengku Zulpuri Raja Puji who wanted to know the plan and preliminary planning actions by the Federal Government to face the possibility of major floods following the phenomenon of La Nina, the northeast monsoon and heavier than usual rainfall.
Tuan Ibrahim added that a non-structural approach in flood management planning such as the flood forecasting and warning programme (PRAB) is also being implemented.
Phase three of PRAB worth RM450mil will complete 74 flood forecasting and warning models for major river basins that are at risk throughout the country, he said.
Meanwhile, for the flood control programme in Kuala Lumpur, specific plans involved the implementation of several phases of the Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation Programme (KLFM), namely the StormWater Management and Road Tunnel or SMART Tunnel, Gombak Flood Diversion System, Keroh Flood Diversion System and Sungai Bunus RTB project.
"A fully operational KLFM is able to store flood water up to a maximum of 10 million cubic meters of water," he said.
As for steps to overcome the flood problem in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, Selangor, Tuan Ibrahim said the construction of the Rasau River embankment at LKSA and Taman Sri Muda has been completed.
Embankment works at Taman Sri Muda have also been completed, he added.
Other steps taken included garbage cleaning work at the trash screen in the Taman Sri Muda flood reservoir, increasing the number of flood warning siren stations from three to eight units and the procurement of genset and two mobile pumps.
