LONDON: The government is adopting the approach of constructing multi-purpose reservoirs as part of its efforts to mitigate floods and reduce losses caused by natural disasters, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The Deputy Prime Minister said these reservoirs would store large volumes of rainwater and serve as a vital water source during dry seasons.
“The reservoirs will enable us to reserve water for use during droughts, ensuring a stable supply.
“The stored water can then be treated and distributed for various needs, whether for drinking, agriculture, industry or other uses.
“This is one of the strategies we are implementing,” he said at a dinner with Malaysians in the United Kingdom at the Malaysian High Commission here on Friday, Bernama reported.
It was attended by about 80 people, including students, employees of government-linked companies and staff of the Malaysian High Commission.
Also present were Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland Datuk Zakri Jaafar, Tenaga Nasional Bhd chief new energy officer Mohd Zarihi Mohd Hashim, Sarawak Energy Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Sharbini Suhaili and a delegation from the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry.
Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, arrived here from Turkiye on Wednesday for a three-day working visit.
Earlier, he performed Friday prayers with the Malaysian Muslim community at the Malaysia Hall.
During the visit, Fadillah led the Malaysian delegation to the Summit on the Future of Energy Security held at Lancaster House, which was held for two days, starting Friday.
Elaborating, Fadillah said flood mitigation efforts must be carried out urgently as significant climate change is affecting Malaysia’s weather patterns, leading to various natural disasters, including floods caused by intense rainfall.
“Our focus now is on mitigating floods due to climate change.
“Thunderstorms, strong winds and extreme weather now result in a day’s rainfall, equaling what used to fall in a month.
“Places that have never experienced floods before are now inundated,” he added.
Fadillah stressed the need to minimise the impact of floods on the people and the country, noting the heavy financial losses incurred.
“We have to make sure that we can reduce the impact of floods, the financial impact not only on the people but also the country.
“During a major flood, we lost RM3bil, including for recovery,” he said.
In addition, he reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to achieving 70% renewable energy by 2050 from 28% currently.
