Malaysia allocates RM3bil for Sungai Golok project

 Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof says this cross-border initiative with Thailand is aimed at mitigating flood risks, safeguarding local communities and enhancing national security.

Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said funding for the project would include building a security wall under the National Security Council. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Malaysia has allocated nearly RM3 billion for the Golok river mouth improvement project, says deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof.

Bernama reported that this is a strategic cross-border initiative with Thailand aimed at mitigating flood risks, safeguarding local communities and enhancing national security.

Fadillah said the total funding for the project would include building a security wall under the National Security Council.

“We have informed the Thai government that Malaysia has approved a location for dredging works, while simultaneously undertaking improvements to Sungai Golok, including the construction of a river wall.

“This is not merely a flood mitigation initiative but also a security measure,” he said in Bangkok at the end of his four-day working visit to Thailand.

He said parts of the project were awaiting final approval from the Thai authorities. The estimated timeline for completion is three years from the commencement date.

On another issue, Fadillah said Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand had completed feasibility studies on a plan to upgrade their existing power interconnection facilities between the two nations.

He said both countries had acknowledged that the interconnection, commissioned in the early 2000s, was ageing and in need of an upgrade.

He said this interconnection upgrade will secure cross-border electricity exchanges and lay the groundwork for future multilateral electricity trade under the Asean Power Grid initiative. - FMT