BATU PAHAT – Kota Tinggi, Segamat and Batu Pahat will be given priority to implement flood mitigation plans as the three districts are prone to floods following continuous rain, said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said the mitigation projects are expected to cost up to RM1 billion following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that all flood mitigation projects worth RM600 million would be approved and expedited from June.
Anwar said this at a press conference while visiting SJKC Kg Tengah relief centre in Segamat, today.
In expressing his gratitude over the announcement Onn Hafiz said with the move several issues can be resolved quickly.
He said this to Bernama after visiting flood victims at SK Sri Medan relief centre here today.
Onn Hafiz also visited SJKC Chong Hwa, Sri Medan relief centre, which was inundated for the past two days and it is understood that the centre will be closed should the water level continue to rise.
In another development, the menteri besar said his office would through the relevant agencies investigate the claims by residents of Kuala Paya, Segamat that cracks in the embankment at Spang Loi near here, had caused water to rise rapidly in the area.
He said an allocation of RM5 million has been set aside for the embankment repair works and the tender process would be completed next month.
“That will also be resolved immediately and the authorities will investigate the (cracked embankment) issue,” he said.
In January last year, the Spang Loi embankment, completed in 2019, burst and caused flooding in Kampung Spang Loi and the surrounding villages when Sungai Muar started to overflow.
The then-prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a RM5 million allocation to upgrade the bunds at Kgg Spang Loi to deal with flood problems in the village and its surrounding areas. – Bernama, March 5, 2023
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