Aid, incentives for flood victims by previous govt to continue - Ahmad Zahid

PASIR MAS: All the aid and incentives given by the previous government to flood victims will be continued, including the Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) of RM1,000 to each household, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the aid would only be given to the registered and eligible flood victims.

"This payment will be made soon before the flood recedes and (before) the victims return to their respective homes.

"Based on past experience, we found that the number of registered flood victims is not the same as the number of applications," he said after visiting flood victims at Sekolah Kebangsaan Gual Tok Deh here today.

Also present were Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong and Rantau Panjang Member of Parliament Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the government, together with the implementing agencies, will continue to take proactive measures to ensure the aid could be channeled smoothly and in an orderly manner.

Prior to this, the previous government under then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government will contribute RM10,000 for each household affected by the floods in Terengganu and Kelantan.

He said the aid would include RM2,500 for the purchase of essential goods, a discount for vehicle repair discount, RM500 rebate for purchase of electrical appliances and repair of houses damaged in the floods.

Ahmad Zahid said the government is also committed to continuing any project that has been approved by the previous administration, such as flood mitigation, which will be implemented as soon as possible.

"During the special Parliament session this Dec 19, the government will table the emoluments and expenses for ongoing projects," he said.

On damaged roads in the rural areas, Ahmad Zahid said the matter was being coordinated for immediate implementation by the ministry.

In a related development, Ahmad Zahid said the government will also continue to carry out long-term flood management to overcome the country's flood problems until 2100.

He said it would be carried out in phases over a 78-year period.

"This flood mitigation projects, which involve huge allocation, will be carried out in phases in areas that often experience floods," he said, adding that the projects would include deepening of river estuaries to facilitate the flow of water to the sea.

-- BERNAMA