State keen to work on trench cleanup

Johor government is hoping the RM12mil allocation from Federal Government to village chiefs in Budget 2024 will be channelled soon so that they can be better prepared for the monsoon season.

Johor climate change and disaster management committee member Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan said there were more than 400km of trenches (parit) in Batu Pahat alone which were in need of constant maintenance.

“Even if we use up all the funds already given to other agencies involved in the cleanup, this can cover only about 40% of the 400km stretch.

“The RM12mil allocation for 600 village chiefs in Johor can help towards cleaning up the remaining 60%,” he said when contacted.

Zulkurnain, who is also Sri Medan assemblyman, said the main issue in Batu Pahat was stagnant floodwater which took weeks to recede.

“Our location is quite low, so the water takes a long time to flow back into the river and ocean.

“When the high tide coincides with heavy rain, flooding results.”

He said the main solution was the flood mitigation project in Sungai Simpang Kiri, expected to start in July.

“It will be good if the project can start even earlier, to reduce the risk of flooding in the coming monsoon as such a project will usually take years to complete,” he said.

Some of the locations affected by stagnant floodwater are Kampung Parit Jayus, Kampung Parit Simen, Kampung Parit Bagas, Kampung Parit Haji Ahmad and Kampung Sri Dayung.

Meanwhile, Penawar assemblyman Fauziah Misri said six families from Kampung Baru Sungai Mas in Kota Tinggi would be relocated to higher ground this year.

“We are still deciding on a suitable location to build new houses for them.

“Their village is in the lowest area of Kota Tinggi, which is why when it rains for more than three hours, flooding occurs,” she said.

The other hotspots in Fauziah’s constituency are Taman Desaru Utama and Jalan Balau, which have been cleaned and are now closely monitored by Pengerang Municipal Council and the Drainage and Irrigation Department.

“We have also been working closely with Kota Tinggi District Office to make sure all cleanup operations are streamlined and conducted frequently during the monsoon season,” she added.