KUALA LUMPUR – Five warning sirens will be installed in the federal capital to warn city dwellers early of possible flash floods, said Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.
He said preliminary work had started for the installation of the siren at Lorong Kiri Keramat 15, Chan Sow Lin Tunnel, Taman U-Thant, Jalan Sembilan in Kg Cheras Baru, and Sg Kayu Ara.
The warning system is one of Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) initiatives to increase assets for flood disaster management, apart from installing another 51 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in flood hotspot areas, he added.
He said 13 CCTVs had been installed, with the remaining in the process of installation.
“We know the SMART Tunnel can help reduce or prevent flash floods, but that cannot cover all the areas in Kuala Lumpur.
“As such, DBKL has taken several approaches to provide an early warning system to the community and city dwellers on the possibility of flash floods,” he said.
He said this in response to a supplementary question from Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (Tumpat-PAS) on the effectiveness of the SMART Tunnel in dealing with flash floods in the federal capital.
To a supplementary question from Hannah Yeoh (Segambut-PH) on whether the Civil Engineering and Drainage Department’s team at DBKL would be enlarged, Jalaludin said the 300-strong department was looking into carrying out slope and hill monitoring.
“There are 3,441 hilly and slope areas in Kuala Lumpur that need to be monitored,” he added.
Earlier, to a question from Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa-PH), Jalaluddin said approval by the Kuala Lumpur Drainage Irrigation Department is mandatory for development orders to be approved.
This is apart from the requirement for developers to obtain traffic impact assessment reports under the DBKL Infrastructure Planning Department, and environmental impact assessments under the Environment Department and Environment and Water Ministry, he added.
Nik Nazmi wanted to know Kuala Lumpur’s preparedness to face the effects of the increasingly extreme climate, including floods and landslides in the next 20 years. – Bernama, March 22, 2022
