IPOH, Nov 25 — Rivers are being deepened in Perak as part of the state’s efforts to alleviate flooding problems, especially in areas that were submerged by water due to the current spell of heavy rains.
Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) state director Datuk Abdul Razak Dahalan said it had taken several flood-mitigating measures in flood-prone areas.
“The intensity of the rain causes the water level in the rivers to rise and overflow the banks. We need to deepen those rivers to avoid such incidents,” he said.
Priority will be to the rivers which are considered as flood contributors as there is a budget constraint for the department to deepen the rivers.
Abdul Razak said the DID had been deepening the Perak River through partnership with government agencies and the private sector. The department has also been deepening the Bidor River at various stretches.
It is also improving the flow of the Selama and Kurau rivers, which are located in Kerian through the Kerian Rivers Flood Mitigation Project.
However, he stressed that deepening the rivers would not end the flood problems as they could only deepen and widen the river for several metres. Going beyond that could disrupt the stability of the areas and create new problems to the river banks.
He said the department was also liaising with the Urban Stormwater Management Manual for Malaysia (MSMA). Under MSMA guidelines, the department is building restraining ponds.
These ponds are to retain water during a downpour. The water will be released gradually only after the water levels in the rivers have subsided.
“The department is also building flood prevention bunds along the river banks,” he said, citing the construction of flood bunds near the Kerian River through the Kerian Rivers Flood Mitigation Project as an example.
He also said the department was monitoring most of the rivers via online system.
“If the water level rises to a certain level, we can be alerted via the online monitoring system which allows us to give prompt warning to the people and the rescue groups to be standby,” he said.
On to the areas in the towns, Abdul Razak said the department would impose charges if there were new developments in the city.
“If there are new developments in the town we will charge them for constructing the drains for them.
“The purpose is to make sure the new drainage systems go well with the previous ones so that there won’t be any blockage in the drainage system,” he said.
He explained that there were still some old places in the town which were developed in low-lying areas. When a new development took place near them and was built on higher grounds, the low-lying areas were affected by floods.
Abdul Razak pointed out that the floods are not only caused by natural occurrence such as heavy rain, but also by indiscriminate throwing of rubbish into the drains.
He added that the drainage in low-lying areas had to be realigned and rebuilt to improve water flow.
The department is spending about RM10 million annually for its flood-mitigation programmes. However, the amount is still not sufficient to tackle the flood issue in Perak.
He said the department would receive RM280 million from the federal government under the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020), but only a portion of that amount would be channelled to flood management projects.
He added that the state government would receive RM58.9 million under the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020) for its flood-mitigation projects.
“The amount is not sufficient, but we have to be pragmatic and understand the current economic situation, therefore we are finding other sources that could contribute,” he said.
