The RM7 billion approved for flood mitigation initiatives nationwide will not proceed and will be reviewed, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the initiatives were approved through direct negotiation and not through tender processes.
“We will have this reviewed so that there will be transparency.
“The amount in question is big. Although the argument is to resolve flood problems, there must be transparency,” he told a press conference today after clocking in at the Finance Ministry.
In his budget last year, then finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced that the government will be implementing a RM15 billion flood mitigation plan until 2030 as a long-term strategy to adapt to climate change facing the country.
When tabling Budget 2023, Tengku Zafrul said many of the projects to be awarded would incur an estimated expenditure of RM700 million.
He said among the main projects would be the Sabo Dam at a cost of RM562 million, involving 46 locations to reduce the risks of debris and mud floods like the flood tragedy in Baling, Kedah.
“Besides this, there will be construction of the dual-function retention pond worth almost RM2 billion involving the length of Sungai Klang and Sungai Rasau in Selangor as a two-pronged strategy to overcome the flood problem and to supply raw water.
“The government will also implement the additional phase of the Integrated Sungai Golok Delta project in Kelantan at a cost of almost RM500 million and upgrading of the national weather forecast and flood warning system,” he said. – TMI