MUAR, March 4 — The RM1,000 government cash aid (Bantuan Wang Ihsan) will be given to every household affected by floods and other disasters related to the Northeast Monsoon once complete information has been furnished by the state and district Disaster Management Committees, said Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs, and Special Functions) gave an assurance that the aid would be disbursed through the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) not later than a week after the incident.
“There will be no delays on the part of Nadma. This commitment on immediate aid disbursement has also been made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in his capacity as Central Disaster Management Committee chairman,” he told a press conference after attending a briefing at the Muar Disaster Operations Control Centre here today.
Armizan had earlier visited the flood relief centres (PPS) at IKTBN Pagoh and Dewan Serbaguna Pagoh.
He said the government understood that state and district Disaster Management Committees need a bit of time to verify data and statistics to avoid duplication and ensure that only eligible victims would be given the aid.
This was because some victims were not evacuated to PPS and their particulars had to be verified with various parties like penghulu, village heads or the district office.
“This (aid) comes from public funds and there are standard operating procedures to be followed although we have reduced the red tape,’’ Armizan said, adding the aid would come in handy for the victims.
Additional teams from the Civil Defence Force and Social Welfare Department from several states were expected to arrive in Johor today to help in flood relief work.
According to a report issued by the National Disaster Control Centre, a series of 14 warnings on continuous heavy rain were issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) throughout the Northeast Monsoon 2022/2023.
“Monsoon surges are expected to continue until March 6, with forecasts of continuous rain in southern Peninsular Malaysia and thunderstorms in west Sarawak from evening to early morning,’’ he said.
MetMalaysia has also forecast danger-level torrential rain in Segamat, Kluang and Mersing until tomorrow.
— Bernama
