ISKANDAR PUTERI – The Johor government has requested an additional RM168 million from the federal government through the Public Works Department (PWD) to repair roads and infrastructure damaged by the recent floods.
Johor Public Works, Transport, and Infrastructure executive councillor Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the state government has already begun the repair process but required additional funds as many areas were affected by the floods.
“That was two weeks ago. Now that the floods have receded, we will assess damaged roads again, only that the PWD needs a bit of time.
“…. Even though floods are receding, there is still water underground that can affect the soil structure itself (that hinders the repair process),” he told reporters outside the Johor assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar here today.
During today’s sitting, he said that the major issues faced by the PWD include landslides and damaged bridges as these repairs could not be completed immediately but required detailed technical studies.
“Repairs could take up to seven months. It depends on the technical studies, second allocation, and suitable contractors.
“Because there are so many incidents occurring at once, resources might not be enough, so insya-Allah we hope the PWD and contractors will use outside resources to help repair roads in Johor,” Fazli said.
He added that the areas affected by landslides include Felda Ulu Tebrau, Ulu Tiram, and Felda Chempelak in Labis, Segamat – as well as damaged culverts in several areas.
In addition, RM12.1 million was needed to overcome landslides and failed slopes identified at 36 locations, he said. – Bernama, March 20, 2023
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