SHAH ALAM – Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today advised the state government to place more serious emphasis on efforts to address the increasing number of floods and flash floods in the state.
Sultan Sharafuddin said the state should immediately identify the best methods to deal with floods, including obtaining expertise and new technology from within and outside the country.
“Since the great flood tragedy in Selangor in 1971, we have learned and gained knowledge of how to prepare action plans before and after the floods,” he said at the opening ceremony of the first meeting of the fifth term of the 14th Selangor assembly here today.
Sultan Sharafuddin said that with the population now reaching more than 6.5 million people, especially in densely populated areas, the state government should have more effective planning so that the people of Selangor are no longer burdened by floods.
“I also want state government officials, agencies, and departments to be more proactive in resolving problems related to flooding disasters,” he said.
He said efforts to deal with the floods include preparing short-term and long-term plans to deepen and widen rivers, ensure good and managed drainage systems, and build floodgates in important locations with rainfall and tide tables taken into account.
Sultan Sharafuddin also expressed hope that all such projects will be done properly and diligently to be effective in the long run, preventing worse floods from occurring.
“I would like to emphasise that law enforcement is one of the most effective ways to teach the people not to pollute and encroach on land along the state’s rivers,” he said.
The sultan said he hopes the state will strengthen enforcement against parties involved in river pollution activities, which are the main cause of floods.
He said members of the public can help ensure drainage systems and rivers in their respective settlements are not clogged, and also avoid indiscriminately dumping garbage into rivers.
“I am saddened to see the damage following the floods. If all parties remain complacent in facing these floods, not only will the government continue to bear losses, the people will also be burdened.
“I hope the federal and state governments put aside political differences and work together to address the floods in the Klang Valley, so that the people involved do not suffer and experience trauma every time the rainy season occurs,” he said.
On the public transport projects that will be developed through the alignment in Selangor, namely the East Coast Rail Link and the MRT3 Circle Line, Sultan Sharafuddin said the two projects had been scrutinised as best as possible, taking into account various factors, especially their social impact as well as that on the environment.
“I hope that the implementation of these projects does not cause more severe effects or disasters and disrupt the lives of the people in Selangor, who have to bear the consequences for a long time when project development is carried out irregularly and carelessly, without the proper monitoring and control of the parties involved.
“I would like to remind all parties involved, whether in the federal or the state governments, to ensure that the work is carried out in an orderly manner and completed well,” he said. – Bernama, March 14, 2022
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