ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government has allocated RM213 million for the implementation of 353 flood management projects in flood hotspot areas, involving 16 local government authorities (PBTs) since 2023.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said that for 2025 alone, the state government has allocated RM106.2 million to implement 104 projects in flood hotspots involving 16 PBTs.
He said the Johor Bahru City Council received the highest allocation of RM42.4 million to implement 16 flood management projects, followed by the Iskandar Puteri City Council (RM36.1 million; 13 projects), Pasir Gudang City Council (RM9.1 million; 16 million) and the Kulai Municipal Council (RM5.7 million; 15 projects).
Implementation of the projects involved, among others, upgrading reservoirs, building small dams along drains and raising the drain walls to avoid flooding in the low-lying areas, he said, adding that the methods for solving the flood issue vary from area to area.
Apart from that, he said, there also needs to be control in terms of development.
“We have found over the past three years that among the causes of areas that used to be flood-free but are now flooded is because of uncontrolled development,” he told a press conference here today.
Mohd Jafni said there was also a need to improve the conditions and specifications for drainage and flood management in planning permission in line with the rapid pace of development and changing rainfall patterns.
“The specifications given to these developers are specifications that are 10, 15 years old and are not relevant to the amount of rainfall that falls now, which has increased five or six times.
“If we control the development part, and we solve these flood hotspot areas, InsyaAllah, the (flood) problems can be resolved,” he said.
