KUALA LUMPUR: Users can get updates on the status of roads during the northeast monsoon season from the Public Works Department’s (JKR) app called eBencana, says Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said monitoring information from JKR’s disaster operations room (BiGBen) is now integrated into the app.
“This app enables all this information to be accessible to road users,” he added.
From the app’s menu, road users can check for floods, landslides, road or bridge collapses, and erosion on the routes that they are using.
The app also features a map showing the exact location of the affected road sections, along with photos of the sites.
According to Nanta, BiGBen serves as a one-stop information centre for disasters involving state and federal roads under JKR.
It monitors disaster-related events, such as floods, landslides, cave-ins, subsidence and other forms of damage, including collapsed bridges.
“One of the main benefits is information on road closures, as well as alternative route information, to enable road users to plan their journeys,” he said.
He added that BiGBen will increase its monitoring frequency based on the severity of the situation, and it is categorised into green, yellow and red.
“If the situation is still green, meaning incidents occurred but are not severe, monitoring will take place from 8am to 5pm, with reports twice a day.
“However, if conditions worsen, it will be categorised as yellow, with four reports daily; and if it is very severe, affecting multiple states, then it’s red, with 24-hour monitoring and reports six times a day,” he said.
Nanta said since 2022, the operation room infrastructure and systems for BiGBen have improved, and the monitoring capacity has increased in efficiency.“The personnel in BiGBen work at various levels, with JKR staff at the federal, state and district levels,” he said.
Previously, the information from BiGBen was only available on its website, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).
The app is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Separately, Nanta said the status of the proposed West Coast Expressway (WCE) extension from Banting, Selangor, to Gelang Patah, Johor, is at the refinement stage.
“From what I understand, we are refining the process and are in contact with the Economy Ministry for approval and allocation,” he added.
In his Budget 2025 speech last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the WCE extension will be constructed via a public-private partnership approach.
