.JPG "Sungai Air Tawar assemblyman Rizam Ismail speaks to the media during the 14th Selangor State Assembly session in Shah Alam, September 4, 2018. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Mukhriz Hazim")
SHAH ALAM, March 15 — The Opposition in Selangor has called on the state government to revive the Bandar Terusan (Canal City) project which had been scheduled to be implemented in 2007 to overcome the problem of floods in the state.
State opposition leader, Datuk Rizam Ismail (BN-Sungai Air Tawar) said the project entailed the construction of a large 17-kilometre-long canal connecting two lakes in the Petaling and Kuala Langat districts.
“If this project is completed successfully, the large canal will be capable of holding hundreds of millions of litres of overflowing water. And flash floods which are happening today can be avoided,” he said.
He said the initiative, mooted from the construction of canals in the Netherlands, could minimise the impact of floods in the Klang Valley for the next 100 years.
“This is the advantage of the previous government, namely, we were able to plan and implement not only for the short term but the results can also be enjoyed by the coming generations,” he said when debating the motion of thanks to the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s address at the state assembly sitting here today.
Rizam also expressed his dismay at the state government for not making early preparations in helping the federal government to tackle floods in the state.
He said this was despite the issuance of six heavy rain warnings in Selangor by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
Rizam said despite numerous warnings issued, the state government continued to be negligent without any regard for possible natural disasters that could hit the state.
The sitting continues tomorrow. — Bernama
