“Give us another few years. More flash flood hotspots will be reduced,” Penang Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said today.
Penang, which was hit by flash floods in October and November, has 45 hotspots, with the northeast district on the island and central Seberang Prai on the mainland having the most.
Chow said over the next three years, flood mitigation projects that were underway would reduce the number of hotspots.
Among the projects is Phase 3 of the Sungai Pinang flood mitigation project. The federal government recently gave Penang RM150 million for the project.
Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Sabri Abdul Mulok said the project’s detailed design, survey work, soil mitigation and appointment of consultants would be done next year.
“We expect to call for tender in September or October. Construction work will only start in 2018,” he said, adding that the whole project would take two and a half years to wrap up.
Chow said the Sungai Pinang project would address many hotspots on the island.
In the meantime, the state government and DID were working on implementing nine high-impact projects funded by the state government, he said.
The state had formed a technical committee and a steering committee to oversee the projects, he said.
“The state has approved RM150 million for the projects. Six are in central Seberang Prai, one in northern Seberang Prai and two on the island’s southwest district,” he said.
Consultancy work on a number of the projects had started earlier this year, Chow said, adding that four of the nine projects would be open for tender in March.
“These projects will take two to three years to complete. There may still be floods after these projects are done but the impact will be less severe,” he said.
Chow added that from time to time, more flood mitigation projects – both minor and major – would be approved by the state flood mitigation committee to be conducted with funds collected from developers’ drainage contributions.
“In each committee meeting, we will approve about 10 projects. In a year, we may approve 50 to 60 projects,” he told reporters after a ceremony to present long service and outstanding service awards to Penang DID staff at Komtar.
On the appointments of councillors for the Penang island city and Seberang Prai municipal councils for the new term, Chow said the state executive council would discuss the names nominated on Jan 4.
“I will be presenting the papers on this in the coming exco meeting. The appointments will be decided then,” he said when asked if the state had accepted the nomination of heritage activist Khoo Salma Nasution.
Khoo was reportedly nominated by civil group Penang Forum to replace Dr Lim Mah Hui, who had declined nomination to be reappointed as city councillor.
Lim, a former international banker, had served as councillor since 2011. He is known for being vocal and critical in raising questions on various issues such as development that affects the public. This had sometimes put him at odds with the administration.