Minister insists RM2.6b spent to solve Penang's flood woes

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has refuted suggestions that Putrajaya has not done enough to help Penang's flood woes.

He said the federal government has spent RM2.58 billion on flood mitigation projects in the state since 2006.

During a press conference today, Wan Junaidi said he was in possession of the list of projects, but did not share it with the media.

He said that the only project that has yet to kick off was one in Sungai Pinang. That delay, he claimed, stemmed from the state government's failure to resolve land acquisition issues in time.

"The state government only resolved the land acquisition issues in 2016...It took a lot of time and it was a long process, this was inevitable," the minister said.

Due to the delay, he expected the project to be completed only in 2020.

Had the project began in 2015, the flash floods that struck Penang on Sept 15 would not have been so severe, Wan Junaidi said.

He added, however, that particular incident was also the result of an unusually heavy downpour and that no one could be blamed.

Yesterday, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had questioned state Umno chief Zainal Abidin Osman's claim that Putrajaya had spent RM2 billion on flood mitigation works in the state.

Lim said he hoped Zainal Abidin and Putrajaya could show proof, because his administration's checks with the Drainage and Irrigation Department found that only RM300 million was disbursed.

[More to follow]

- Mkini