Have panel to oversee KL flood mitigation plans, Muda tells govt

 

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki (in white cap) inspecting the site of a flood retention pond in Taman Wahyu, Kepong, marked for development in January last year. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Muda has called for the setting up of a committee to oversee urban planning as a flood mitigation measure in light of uncontrolled development in areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur’s retention ponds.

The party’s policy bureau said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the local government development ministry and Kuala Lumpur MPs must give specific attention to remedying existing structural issues.

“To reduce the risk (of floods), Muda is of the position that a body to oversee urban planning must be set up,” it said in a statement.

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It added that members of such a panel should be qualified, have credibility and be familiar with urban planning.

The bureau cited the national audit department report, released in August 2022, which highlighted several failures on the part of DBKL to carry out flood mitigation projects proposed in its own flood master plan.

In the report, the auditor-general concluded that only eight of the 104 flood mitigation measures proposed by DBKL had been implemented or were in the process of implementation.

In response, DBKL assured city folk that its flood mitigation plan was being implemented, adding that another 22 flood mitigation measures would be implemented in 2022.

Muda’s bureau also lamented the slow progress of public engagement programmes, saying that feedback from the public should be followed by immediate implementation, with clear timelines and officials assigned.

For the longer term, the bureau suggested holding local elections to task the elected representatives with the responsibility of ensuring development projects are aligned with the needs of the community. - FMT