Chow: Penang to see reduction in flood hotspots

GEORGE TOWN: Penang is expected to see a reduction of 45 flood hot spots once 10 flood mitigation projects totalling RM300 million is completed in the next three years.
State Local Government, Traffic and Flood Mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (pix) said the number of hot spots mostly in the northeast district on the island and central Seberang Perai on the mainland will see much improvement.
He said this comes after the RM150 million federal funded Sungai Pinang third phase mitigation project and work on the state's nine high impact flood mitigation projects starts in the middle of next year.
Chow said six of the nine projects will be in Central Seberang Perai, two in the Southwest district on the island and another in North Seberang Perai.
He said two special committees - a technical committee and a steering committee - which oversees nine state projects headed by state DID director Sabri Abdul Mulok and himself had been formed. All these projects will serve to ease current flood woes in the state.

"A project will help to eliminate a few flood hot spots," he told reporters after attending the DID awards ceremony accompanied by state DID director Sabri Abdul Mulok in Komtar today.
Earlier Chow at the event said the biggest challenge facing the state this year is flash floods which hampered many low-lying residential areas especially during the festival period and the flood phenomenon was different with other places as it poured during the storm.
"It comes fast and recedes fast as well," he said, adding that the state been working tirelessly to resolve its flood woes.
On the list of councillors for the next term, Chow said a state exco meeting on Jan 4 will decide on it.