Instead, planning guidelines should be revised to adapt to climate change and its associated effects, says Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia.
It said the federal town and country planning officials at PlanMalaysia should look into density, plot ratios, permeability, and urban forest mitigation.
The group’s co-founder, Kennedy Michael, said there were other cheaper intervention methods that could alleviate the issue of increased rainfall and intensity, such as rainwater harvesting.
“It seems that all solutions are focused on more infrastructure projects – which are merely band-aid solutions – rather than on good governance and planning.
“We should plan to include more rainwater harvesting and rehabilitation of areas upstream of rivers to increase absorption ability,” he told FMT.
Kennedy said it was good that Selangor’s proposal for the underground tunnel system was based on a flood mitigation model used in Japan, which has high standards for such projects.
He expressed concern whether such a project would be well maintained. “We do not have Japanese integrity, ethics, and commitment to excellence; and neither do we have a good maintenance culture.”
The state government must also account for the difference in climate between Japan and Malaysia, he said.
The Selangor proposal for an underground tunnel system to manage rain overflow from Kuala Lumpur to prevent flooding is estimated to cost RM6 billion.
State executive councillor Izham Hashim said the proposal was based on a mitigation model used in Kawasaki and Saitama, Japan, where water is directed straight into underground tunnels to manage floods.
The proposal, which has been submitted to the energy transition and water transformation ministry, would need federal approval given the high costs involved.
Need for public scrutiny
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago urged the state government to make available the various documents related to the RM6 billion tunnel proposal to allow public scrutiny.
He also said the state should explain the proposed financial mechanism and repayment mode for the flood mitigation project so that the public knows how their money would be spent.
“The idea might be good, but its appropriateness needs to be established,” he said, pointing to differences between Malaysia and Japan’s soil composition, engineering techniques and infrastructure requirements.
“We also have the problem of rising sea levels in Selangor, but we do not know if the system used by the two Japanese cities (Kawasaki and Saitama) factors in such situations,” he said.