KUALA LUMPUR: Most flash floods that occur in the country are due to sanitation issues such as clogged drains and drainage systems, says Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sab
She said the matter required public awareness at the community level to jointly address the issue of flash floods.
"It provides a wake-up call… like the recent flooding problems (occurring) in Kuala Lumpur and the real issue is clogged drains, so if we can increase public awareness (on the importance of cleanliness) that would be great," she said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was answering a supplementary question by Wan Razali Wan Nor (PN-Kuantan) on the findings of the Housing and Local Government Ministry's planning together with various relevant government agencies to resolve the flood issue in the long term.
Responding to Wan Razali's question who also wanted to know whether the ministry was prepared to use a drainage system or water diversion technology like that used in Japan to overcome the problem of flash floods, Aiman Athirah said the matter was being considered.
"It costs quite a lot of money, but that's okay because that is something we pay attention to from time to time to improve our work in dealing with the problem of flash floods," she said.
To strengthen the effectiveness of flash flood management, Aiman Athirah said the government had allocated funds to local authorities (PBT) nationwide to upgrade existing drainage systems in areas identified as flood "hotspots."
She said these included projects to maintain flood reservoirs and maintain drainage systems, with costs of RM50 million and RM20 million respectively for this year. – BERNAMA