PASIR MAS: The government will expedite sufficient financial allocations to address the floods issues in Rantau Panjang, caused by the Sungai Golok estuary, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
He said the funds would be used for dredging and cleaning Sungai Golok, a solution that was also agreed upon by Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, as similar problems are occurring in southern Thailand.
Anwar noted that flooding in Rantau Panjang and Narathiwat, Thailand, are among long-standing issues in both areas.
“One of the causes of the flooding is poor management of the river (Sungai Golok), which has not been cleaned or dredged at the river mouth. Part of the land belongs to Malaysia, and part belongs to Thailand.
“I told the Thai Prime Minister (Srettha) that unless the river mouth is dredged, water overflow will continue to affect Kelantan and Narathiwat... and we have seen this problem persist year after year,” he said.
The prime minister said this at a press conference held at the Pasir Mas Land and District Office here today, following his working visit to Rantau Panjang and Sungai Golok, where he also met with Srettha.
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