JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 1 — The Johor government will provide an additional allocation of RM30 million next year to fund four urgent measures to address flash flooding in the state capital.
Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the allocation aims to fast-track the implementation of short- and medium-term measures to tackle flash floods.
He said the decision was reached following an action committee meeting earlier today in response to flash flooding that struck several locations in the city yesterday.
“Despite the Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) spending over RM100 million to address flood measures in the past four years, the weather conditions can be very unpredictable,” he told reporters after an action committee meeting at Menara MBJB here today.
“At present we already have RM48 million allocated for flood mitigation projects for next year, that will be carried out in stages.
“The additional RM30m million allocation for next year will be used to aid existing issues that are not covered under the existing allocation,” he added.
Also present were Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad and Perling assemblyman P. Pannir Selvam.
Mohd Jafni said the four key areas of focus include the appointment of specialist consultants by MBJB to conduct a detailed study of the city’s drainage systems and aligning it with the comprehensive district-wide study being carried out by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
“We will also construct underground retention facilities – specifically an On-Site Detention (OSD) system – along the Jalan Sungai Chat area. This involves excavating and building underground concrete tanks to store water, while the surface area can be utilised as a playing field or car park, similar to the project implemented at Kota Iskandar.
“Additionally, we will also increase pumping capacity towards the Johor Straits to manage exceptional rainfall over the next five years.
“In addition, the teams will also deploy mobile pumps to high-risk locations in the city,” he said, adding that the authorities will also upgrade and expand monsoon drains through the Public Works Department (JKR).
Besides the four key areas, Mohd Jafni said various immediate measures would commence by tomorrow.
He said these include deepening the retention pond in Kampung Mohd Amin and lowering existing water levels in ponds such as those in Taman Merdeka and Sungai Chat using a scheduled pumping system prior to heavy rainfall.
“These measures aim to create greater flexible retention capacity to accommodate rainwater runoff.
“At the same time, the integrated coordination involving MBJB, DID, JKR, and the district office would be carried out weekly to continuously monitor the progress of the various flood mitigation projects,” he explained.
Several parts of Johor Bahru were inundated by flash floods yesterday following continuous heavy rain.
Among the severely affected areas were Jalan Ayer Molek, Jalan Yahya, Jalan Pantai, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, and Kampung Pasir in Tampoi.
