The government will be paying extra attention on strengthening local authorities especially in the aspects of cleanliness, security, well-being and comfort as well as conservation of the environment, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said that towards realising this objective, 13 working papers were discussed at the 71st Meeting of the National Council for Local Governments which he chaired here today.

He noted that PBT had been asked to strengthen enforcement to increase awareness on public cleanliness like on the need for commercial premises to install oil traps, tackle the problem of dirty toilets, use of suitable and effective detergents and also rodent infestation, which poses a risk to public health.

"It also includes problems related to safety and health when handling dangerous chemicals in the localities," he said in a statement after the meeting.

The meeting also touched on creating guidelines for Tadika (kindergartens) and Taska (nurseries) so that the environment is safe, free of obstacles to children, the caregivers, and other users if located in multi-storey buildings and to ensure a a high quality learning atmosphere for spiritual and physical development of those under their charge, he said.

Ahmad Zahid said the meeting also discussed the implementation of initiatives towards conserving the environment such as controlling development of chalets on water so that natural attractions were always preserved and requiring the installation of Rainwater Collection and Redistribution System (SPAH) which could reduce the demand for public water supply.

Meanwhile, the meeting which was attended by cabinet ministers, menteris besar, chief ministers and heads of the related agencies and departments also encouraged the proclamation process on the proposed amendments to the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (UKBS 1984) (Amendment 2012) by the state governments so that a comprehensive implementation can be uniformly enforced by local authorities.

Among the proposed amendments is on energy efficiency which makes mandatory Malaysia's Standard MS1525 Code-Code of Practice on the Use of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Non-Residential Buildings as well as the need to implement the requirement to fight and prevent fires actively and passively in line with the current architectural and engineering practices.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the meeting had also discussed a paper on the use of the Industrialized Building System (IBS) as one of the methods to strengthen the country's construction industry.

He said the Cabinet meeting on September 9, 2015, agreed to mandate the implementation of the IBS method for projects worth RM50 million and above for private sector projects.

"Following that, the best mechanism to realise the decision of the Cabinet is by requiring the terms of use of the IBS method as part of the requirements in the application of Planning Permission or Development Order and also Building Plan," he said.

He said the success of the mechanism was strongly dependent on the state governments to adopt the requirements and ensure implementation at the PBT level.

The meeting also discussed Malaysia's preparations for organising the 9th World Urban Forum Conference scheduled for Feb 7-13, 2018 at KLCC, he said.

He said the biennial conference by the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) aimed to examine the urgent issues facing the world in relation to urbanisation and human settlements.

The international conference is expected to gather as many as 25,000 participants from within and outside the country, including experts from all over the world.

"This platform should be used by Malaysia in the best possible manner to share and showcase municipal initiatives that have been implemented to the world, at the same time indicating the country's commitment in the success of the New Urban Agenda," he said.

BERNAMA