KUALA LUMPUR: The government is reviewing land acquisition and design processes to speed up flood mitigation projects by up to 12 months to ensure more cost-effective implementation.
Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said his ministry and the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) are working to accelerate project timelines, particularly in high-risk flood-prone areas.
"The ministry is committed to implementing flood mitigation projects to address the rising risk of floods. JPS is examining ways to shorten project duration while keeping costs efficient," said the Deputy Prime Minister in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Feb 20).
He was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus) on measures to expedite flood mitigation efforts and the financial impact on the government, given that some approvals were revoked in late 2022.
Fadillah revealed that by the Fifth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan (RP5 RMKe-12) in 2025, 50 flood mitigation master plans had been completed, with six more in development and three set to begin in June.
"To date, 136 flood mitigation projects have been approved, amounting to RM22.86bil. Of these, 35 are in the pre-implementation stage, while 73 are currently underway," he said.
The government has reprioritised flood mitigation projects post-2022, focusing on critical areas while ensuring compliance with procurement procedures set by the Finance Ministry.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim instructed the Treasury to ease approval processes, allowing for immediate funding and a faster pre-queue screening to accelerate project execution.
