Penang Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said he will be tabling the motion on behalf of the state government.
“The motion will enable all state assemblymen to give their views and proposals on the unusual flooding which hit the state yesterday,” he was quoted as saying by the state publication Buletin Mutiara at a press conference today.
Present at the press conference were Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, state Tourism Development Committee chairman Law Heng Kiang, Air Itam assemblyman Wong Hon Wai, and Sungai Pinang assemblyman Lim Siew Khim.
Chow, who is Padang Kota assemblyman, said he had already informed Penang state assembly speaker Law Choo Kiang about the motion.
He added that the motion was expected to be debated immediately, about 11am tomorrow.
Lim said the massive flooding was a result of excessive rain recorded in the state over the last 15 hours.
He had said the equivalent of one-and-a-half months’ of rain was recorded in Penang in less than 24 hours.
This was likely due to the effects of Typhoon Damrey, which had wreaked havoc in Vietnam, he added.
Lim said Butterworth recorded 372mm of rain last night — the highest on record in the state. The previous highest recorded rainfall was 315mm at the Air Itam Dam not long ago.
Chow had earlier said the situation was made worse by the high tide as most rivers and drains could not cope with the high volume of water.
“Most of the drains and rivers could not cope with the excess flow of rainwater.
“A lot of the drains and rivers are also blocked with rubbish, which is one of the common reasons why our rivers could not cope,” Chow said.
More rain has been predicted by the weatherman, with the military and its assets mobilised to provide help.
Guan Eng: Penang’s unusual rainfall likely due to Typhoon Damrey