ISKANDAR PUTERI: The flood mitigation plan (RTB) project in Sungai Batu Pahat, which is expected to start next year, will benefit more than 35,000 residents in the surrounding area who are vulnerable to flood risk due to overflow of streams and river.
State Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said the RM190 million project, which will be completed in 2026, involved the construction of a dam and deepening of the river as part of the long-term solution.
“This RTB aims to repair river banks, upgrade embankments so that water from the stream along the river does not overflow, and reduce the incidence of flash floods when high tide phenomenon collides with heavy rainfall,” he said at the Johor State Assembly (DUN) sitting here. today.
He said this in his reply to a question from Gan Peck Cheng (PH-Penggaram) who wanted to know the status of the construction of the embankment for RBT in Sungai Batu Pahat which had started from the sluice gate of Kampung Parit Lapis in Batu Pahat.
Raven Kumar said for short-term solutions to reduce the risk of floods, river conservation efforts continued to be carried out in Taman Batu Pahat, Jalan Pantai, Jalan Masjid, Parit Johar, Parit Sri Molek, and Kampung Muhibbah involving an allocation of RM1.07 million.
Answering a question from Datuk Jefridin Atan (BN-Kukup) who wanted to know about plans to attract more tourists to Johor, Raven Kumar said the government planned to build a mangrove discovery centre in Tanjung Piai and a mangrove research centre in Pulau Kukup.
He said the two centres would be equipped with public facilities such as toilets, souvenir stalls, cafeterias, surau, hotels, and lounges, thus encouraging more tourists to visit the location. — Bernama