JOHOR BARU: The Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) will expand its Safety Alerts & Integrated Forewarnings Operation Network (Saifon) smartphone application, designed to provide early warnings of floods at hotspots, said mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad.
The application, developed in 2023, currently monitors two river basins, namely Sungai Chat and Lembangan Abdul Samad, with sirens that activate when water levels rise to flood-risk levels.
“It displays real-time data such as river water levels, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and rainfall readings.
“It was developed at a cost of RM70,000 involving 10 stations equipped with CCTV cameras and solar-powered systems," he told a press conference after chairing MBJB’s full council meeting on Wednesday (Oct 1).
Mohd Haffiz said MBJB has also allocated RM17.1mil this year for various flood mitigation projects across its jurisdiction.
“There are 23 flood hotspots in the city and we have completed works at 18 of them. Mitigation efforts at the remaining five are ongoing.
"These include upgrading drainage systems, floodgates, pumps and sewerage, building retention ponds, repairing drain walls, maintaining retention basins and desilting rivers,” he said.
He added that the measures were part of preparations for the northeast monsoon season expected to begin in mid-November until March 2026, during which several episodes of heavy rainfall are forecast.
