By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, Jan 10 — Selangor assemblymen were given a special briefing yesterday on the current flood situation in the state amid the ongoing northeast monsoon season.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Izham Hashim said the briefing is meant to update the assemblymen and their representatives on flood hotspots and at-risk areas across Selangor.
He said attendees were also informed of developments under the purview of the state’s Irrigation and Drainage Department, including flood mitigation projects, upgrading of retention ponds and monsoon drains, as well as river and drain upgrading works in several districts.
“This briefing is aimed at giving specific explanations to the assemblymen as they are the communication bridge between the government and the people.
“I hope all the input provided will give them a better understanding (of the current situation) and that they can deliver the best service to the rakyat,” he said in a series of posts on social media site X.
Izham also thanked all those who were present at the meeting yesterday.
Previously, the Meteorological Department had said that the northeast monsoon season is expected to persist from November 11, 2023, until March this year, with several episodes of heavy downpours predicted during this period.
Its director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah warned that continuous heavy rain for several days may result in flooding in low-lying and flood-risk areas, particularly in the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, as well as Johor and western Sarawak.
“However, if the monsoon rain is strong and, at the same time, there is a low-pressure weather system, continuous heavy rains can occur in other states in Malaysia.”
While Selangor has reported some instances of flooding across the state, these are mainly under control.
A major flood last hit the state in December 2021, when massive torrential downpours across the peninsular lasting several days submerged numerous locations in eight states, killing at least 54, the highest in the history of flood disasters in Malaysia.
