“The consultant has been asked to complete the study in 12 months,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this was part of the irrigation and drainage department’s long-term plan to address Kuala Lumpur’s flash flood problems.

Shahidan denied a claim by Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) that DBKL did not clean drains on a regular basis, stating that it has 19 waste traps at the city’s rivers which are cleaned on a daily basis.

Kuala Lumpur was hit by a second round of flash floods in three months after heavy rain submerged hundreds of vehicles and caused power outages on Monday, with several highway stretches also closed to traffic.

Shahidan said that of the 29 areas affected on Monday, floodwaters receded within 30 to 45 minutes in 25 areas while it took between one and three hours to recede in the other four areas.

Debating the King’s address at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh) urged Shahidan to review all proposed high-density housing projects in the city, saying the drainage system was simply not designed to cope with the heavy rain.