GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will be installing flood sensor devices in several flood-prone areas next year.
Mayor Datuk Maimunah Mohd Shariff said that the devices would be able to help the council keep tabs and track the occurrence of flash floods on the island.
"The moment it starts raining and the water starts rising, our sensors will be able to pick it up, and our staff in Komtar will be able to send out the information and mobilise the authorities where needed.
"For now, we will be installing some 20 to 30 devices in flash flood hotspots on the island, which numbers more than 30 places," she told newsmen after chairing the full council meeting today.
It was reported that continuous and heavy downpour on Friday had led to massive flash floods in the state, affecting some 100 locations.
Maimunah said the council would also be using its hundreds of closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on the island to monitor flash floods.
"For example, during Friday's flooding, we were able to gather information on the flash floods and areas to avoid, and inform the public immediately through our monitoring of the CCTV.
"We have about 500 CCTVs on the island now and will be adding another 150 next year. CCTVs will also be installed on hillside areas especially in Balik Pulau," she said after tabling a RM189 million deficit budget for 2018.
The 2018 budget's income is estimated at RM416 million with a RM606 million expenses.
Maimunah said that the deficit in budget was due to the increase in expenses to improve the city in line with the budget's 'smart city'.
"In achieving our target, we will be spending RM78.68 million or 27.85 per cent in making the city cleaner; RM16.37 million or 5.8 per cent in making the city greener; RM11.84 million or 4.19 per cent in making the city safer; and RM9.18 million or 3.25 per cent in making the city healthier.
"We will also be spending 58.91 per cent or RM166.44 million of the budget on public amenities and infrastructures," she said.
Among the other highlights of the expenditure, Maimunah said, was wet market development projects, bicycle sharing development project, road repairs and traffic mitigation efforts, waste segregation efforts and improvements at the Pulau Burong landfill.
When asked on the drop in expenditure from RM645 million in 2017 to RM606 million, she said this was due to the fact that many of the council's big development projects, such as the Chowrasta market project, had been completed this year.
Maimunah said the council's three main source of income for 2018 would be tax revenue which includes quit rent from properties held by the state government and its agencies; non-tax revenue which includes collections from licences and permits; services payment and income from sale or rental of items or interest from investment; and non-tax receipts such as receipts from government agencies.
"The tax revenues are estimated at RM222.86 million or 53.45 per cent of the total revenue. It is an increase of RM5.89 million compared to the tax revenue of RM216.97 million in 2017," she said.
She said the non-tax revenue was estimated at RM153.48 or 36.81 per cent of the total revenue.
"Our estimate of the non-tax receipts is RM40.63 million or 9.74 per cent of the total revenue," she said.
When asked on why the revenue had dropped by RM50 million from RM466 million in 2017, Maimunah said this was because collection from infrastructure charges from development projects is expected to drop from RM70 million in 2017 to RM33 million in 2018.
The council charges an infrastructure fee of RM50 for per square feet of a development project.
"There is a drop in development projects due to the softening property market which has affected our infrastructure fee. Moreover, the new formula for collection of this fee, whereby a developer pays the fee in phases, means that the monies are collected over a period of time," she said.
She added that the 10 per cent of the payment is made when planning permission is given, 10 per cent when building plan is approved, 20 per cent when building plan is released and the remaining 60 per cent when commencement of work takes place.