KUALA LUMPUR – The government is studying an early flood warning system at river sources, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Speaking during the question-and-answer session this morning, Water and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal-Bersatu) told the lower house that this is one of the initiatives led by the Irrigation and Drainage Department.
“The ministry and department are working to develop an early warning system for flash floods. We are calling it the Water Column Warning System (Sistem Amaran Banjir Kepala Air) at flood-prone areas. The ministry is planning to implement this warning system.
“Our pilot and testing will be at Gunung Jerai, and if successful, the system will be implemented nationwide. It will include a rain monitoring station, water flow prediction, and a siren.
“To ensure this programme’s success, the department will need full cooperation from the state government and Forestry Department, seeing that water columns are usually in forest reserves,” said Mansor in his reply to a supplementary question by Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (Raub-PH).
The opposition lawmaker had asked Putrajaya about its efforts to combat flash floods and whether it has taken into consideration that global warming may have triggered rainstorms that last longer than usual.
The deputy minister also disclosed that the government has allocated hundreds of millions to maintain the country’s flood ponds.
“In 2020, RM150 million was allocated for the maintenance of 1,470 flood retention ponds,” said Mansor. – The Vibes, October 6, 2021
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