Flood mitigation plans to get priority under 11th Development Plan - Najib

The government is to give priority to flood mitigation projects nationwide in the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020), Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

The prime minister made the announcement after taking a first-hand look at the floods in Chukai town here.

"In view of the severity of the floods in several states this time, there is definitely a need to give priority to flood mitigation projects in the 11th Malaysia Plan," he told a news conference after attending a briefing on flood management in the Kemaman parliamentary constituency at the Kemaman Municipal Council hall here.

He said the relevant departments would be asked to submit reports and studies to support the government plan.

At the same time, he said, the government would have to look into its financial capability because flood mitigation projects incurred a huge expenditure, running into hundreds of millions of ringgit.

Also present at the news conference were Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman; Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Chief of Army Gen Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin.

Najib said the existing flood mitigation systems were unable to cope with the extent of the floods that struck several states, mainly in the east coast of the peninsula.

The prime minister was earlier briefed on the floods in Kemaman by Air Putih state assemblyman Wan Abdul Hakim Wan Mokhtar.