State works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Fazli Salleh said the projects’ completion date had been brought forward to 2027 instead of 2029.

He said the state government was able to get the contractors involved to agree to the new deadline, Bernama reported.

Fazli said Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had also formed a task force to ensure such high-impact projects were expedited.

“All the projects started this year and some have started in terms of design and construction.

“We hope they can be completed quickly because the projects will affect hundreds of thousands of Johor citizens who have been impacted by floods,” he said.

Fazli said the projects would include the upgrading of Sungai Muar, between the confluence of Sungai Jementah to the confluence of Sungai Labis, as well as the construction of a flood reservoir and upgrading of Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi.

Onn Hafiz was previously reported to have said that the RM1.6 billion funding from the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry, was for a long-term solution to the flood problem in the state.

He said the project involved the Muar River Basin, in Segamat; Johor River Basin, Kota Tinggi; and the town of Batu Pahat.