PUTRAJAYA: Rapid and uncontrollable development in Penang, which led to a cluttered drainage system, were among the reasons behind the recurring flash floods in the state.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said it was the local councils and the state government's negligence which led to them overlooking the capacity of the drainage system, which is not on par with the city's development.
He said if the development projects, especially along river banks in the state were not controlled, flood mitigation plans will not be fruitful.
"The state government should have considered sustainable development instead banking on profits from development projects.
"They could have also used the profits from the development to draw up and implement their own flood mitigation plan instead of pointing fingers at the government," he told reporters after the ministry's monthly assembly today.
Wan Junaidi said the state government should have studied the states's ability to accommodate the rapid development with the people's safety and welfare in mind.
He also explained the current Sungai Pinang capacity will not be able able sustain the flow of water if efforts to deepen and widen the river is not done as soon as possible.
He said the government had approved RM150 million for the Sungai Pinang flood-mitigation project under the 11th Malaysia Plan.