Johor state housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor (in white) together with Johor works, transportation, and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh (in black) during the roundtable discussion between the Felda Bukit Permai villagers and Ranhill SAJ Sdn Bhd at Dewan Kampung Murni Jaya, Kulai.
KULAI: The Johor government has set up a technical committee under the Greater Johor Baru agenda to study future flood retention development that will ensure all current and future projects are sustainable.
Johor state housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said that this was based on the recent flood incident in Johor Baru, which recorded an extreme rainfall value of more than 60mm.
"Some of the drain specifications that we have in Johor Baru were developed 30 years ago and can only withstand rainfall values between 20mm and 30mm per hour.
"However, the recent rainfall record we have was between 60mm and 70mm per hour, which is abnormal.
"So the state government introduced the Greater JB Flood Mitigation Committee to conduct a technical study on our drainage system and whether they are adequate to hold at least 100mm of water," he said.
He said this when met by reporters after conducting a roundtable discussion between the Felda Bukit Permai villagers and Ranhill SAJ Sdn Bhd at Dewan Kampung Murni Jaya, here, on Tuesday (Jan 16).
Mohd Jafni said this when asked to comment on the Malaysian Meteorological Department's (MetMalaysia) warning that continuous rainfall is expected to occur in several areas in Pahang and Johor from Wednesday (Jan 17) until Jan 20.
Mohd Jafni shared that besides him, the committee was also co-chaired by Johor Works, Transportation, and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh and Johor Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K. Raven Kumar.
"There are locations where our portfolios overlap in terms of jurisdiction, so we need to work together to find solutions to the flood issues," he said, adding that a study will also be conducted to incorporate specifications from developed nations that can withstand weather issues for 100 years to come.
Meanwhile, on the programme, Mohamad Fazli said that the government had allocated RM9mil to solve the water issues in Felda Bukit Permai.
"The first phase will involve replacing the old main pipes, which cost RM3mil; the project will start in February and be completed in March this year.
"The second phase is to replace the old water pumps so that we can increase the water pressure; the geographical location of this village is hilly terrain, so we need stronger pumps, which cost around RM6mil," he said.
Once completed, it will also address water issues for 221 households in five villages in Felda Bukit Permai, namely Kampung Seri Muar, Kampung Murni Jaya, Kampung Tersusun, Kampung Sungai Besoi, and Kampung Agas.
