What did I tell You....Malacca flood again

Mr. Gan Tian Loo, if you are reading this, your constituency is also flooded. Please take note. To wait for another two years or so, I'm afraid the whole kampung in Durian Daun Dalam will 'hanyut'. So please speed up.

----- Taken from the Star

MALACCA: It was sheer coincidence that the state’s flood mitigation plans dominated debate at the 12th State Legislative Assembly when several low-lying areas suffered flash floods following several hours of downpour on Thursday.

Several Barisan Nasional and Opposition assemblymen expressed concern on flash flooding in several parts of the state and wanted to know how fast the state would address the issue.

Datuk Tahir Hassan (BN - Paya Rumput) questioned how long he had to wait for the problem to be resolved in his constituency.

“We have been debating on floods since with the reply given that it is caused by the unusually heavy rains.

Helping hands: G. Arukkiasamy 16,helping her wheelchair-bound neighbour Kamala Alagan, 65, to higher ground after her home was affected by flash floods recently.

“Today, by divine providence, several areas in my constituency were hit by flash floods.

“Am I supposed to keep telling my constituents it is due to hujan lebat, hujan lebat each time it floods?” he questioned.

He said it was good the state had plans to solve the problem, noting that the plans were for the future and not immediate.

The issue was earlier raised by Hassan Rahman (BN — Sungai Rambai), who wanted to know the state’s plans to address floods at four locations along the new AMJ highway.

Goh Leong San (DAP - Kesidang) expressed concern over several areas in his constituency including Kampung Chitty where a retention pond was constructed recently.

In his answer, Gan Tian Loo (BN - Duyong), who is also state exco member for public works, said that RM128mil had been allocated by the Federal Government for flood mitigation projects in the city.

He said this included RM90.1mil to deepen Malacca River, and RM47mil for several projects in the city and the creation of a 33ha retention pond in the Krubong-Belimbing area that could hold 900,000 sq m of water.

“The various flood mitigation projects are expected to be completed within the next one to two years depending on technicalities and weather conditions,” he said, adding that the issue of floods would be fully resolved when the projects were completed.