GEORGE TOWN: The Penang State Government will be setting up a Flood Mitigation Project implementation steering committee.
State Flood Mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (DAP- Padang Kota) said the committee, which he would be chairing, will include assemblymen, Penang Island City Council mayor Datuk Patahiyah Ismail and Seberang Perai Municipal Council president Maimunah Mohd Sharif, as well as officers from the Land and District Office and Public Works Department.
“The committee will be tasked with discussing and approving the recommendations or solutions and technical proposals presented by the technical committee,” he said in reply to a suggestion by Lee Khai Loon (PKR - Macang Bubok), while delivering his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly session here today.
It was reported that the federal government had approved RM150 million in allocations for the Sungai Pinang Flood Mitigation and the state government had also approved RM220 million allocations to tackle the worsening flash flood problems.
The state government drew flak over its failure to handle the flash floods that threatened the safety of the people and caused damage to properties.
Chow said that a study done by Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Professor Chan Ngai Weng stated that the floods was caused by a few factors, among which were climate change, sea tide, and urbanisation.
He said among the short term plans to handle the flash floods include cleaning up the drains as well as to upgrade the drainage system and building pumping stations for flood control in areas prone to flash floods.
“The local council would also clean out the drains and install thrash screen and drainage scuppers in stages.
“Through new development control, for developments in George Town, MBPP will set a condition that the developments must upgrade the main drainage around the area of the development in accordance with ‘The Study on Flood Mitigation and Drainage in Penang Island’ master plan outlined by Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).
“As for developments outside the city, the Drainage Irrigation Department (DID) will set a condition on the developer to upgrade drainage around the new development in accordance to the Manual Saliran Mesra Alam Malaysia (MSMA),” he said.
Chow said the state government had completed the Seberang Perai Tengah and Barat Daya flood mitigation master plan, which would be used to building new drainages and as a guideline to developers to build the main drainage for a development.
He said they had also started on the Northeast and Seberang Perai Selatan flood mitigation master plan, which would be completed in May 2017, while the Seberang Perai Utara flood mitigation master plan would be completed in early 2017.
Earlier, Chow said that the River and Marine pollution task force has decided to organise an awareness programme in each constituency for the year 2017.
He said the programme aimed at creating awareness of the public on cleanliness, especially public areas, would be headed by the respective assemblyman with the help of the local council and DID.