Lim accepts Shahidan's invite to visit mitigation efforts in KL

 

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng is ready to visit the short-term mitigation efforts implemented in Kuala Lumpur after receiving an invitation from Federal Territories Minister Shahidan Kassim.

However, this did not stop the DAP lawmaker from continuing to criticise the government for its inability to address flash flooding in the capital effectively.

"I accept Shahidan's invitation to visit the pumping water and sandbag barrier which are short term solutions.

"I would also like to visit the location of the proposed high capacity groundwater storage mega tunnel which is part of the long term solution to the problem,” Lim (above, right) told Malaysiakini.

He questioned why there was a need to plan for another mega underground tunnel when BN had promised 15 years ago that the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel Project (Smart Tunnel), which is the longest stormwater drainage tunnel in Southeast Asia, would solve the flood issue in Kuala Lumpur.

"Does that mean the Smart Tunnel is a failed project?" he said.

Yesterday, Shahidan assured that the government's efforts to tackle flash flooding in Kuala Lumpur were not just empty promises but consisted of plans for the short, medium, and long term.

For the near term, Shahidan said, the government will be pumping water, monitoring affected areas, and building sandbag barriers at places where rivers overflow.

The minister had invited Lim, other MPs and his critics to visit the places where the government erected sandbag barriers.

Lim had previously criticised Shahidan and the government, saying promised solutions to flash flooding had a tendency of not being implemented as they were perpetually under study.

On June 3, Shahidan said that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall would carry out a feasibility study on the location and specifications for a high-capacity groundwater storage tunnel, which would be completed in three months.

The tunnel itself is expected to take three to five years to build and is one of the long-term solutions being planned, according to the minister. - Mkini