ALOR STAR: The Kedah state legislative assembly was told that several factors had contributed to the delay in the RM442 million Sungai Baru Flood Mitigation project in Anak Bukit.
The state Water Resources, Water Supply, Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Badrul Hisham Hashim said the project which supposed to be completed by end of this year, was 17 per cent behind schedule.
He said the state government was monitoring the progress of the project closely.
Badrul Hisham (BN-Kuala Nerang) said based on the schedule, the 3km project was supposed to be 94 percent completed by now.
"Poor planning and management by the contractor appointed to handle the project has been established as the main reason behind the delay.
"The other contributing factor is the proposed upgrading works of two bridges across the canal,” he said in his answer to an oral question from (Pas-Anak Bukit) Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah.
He said the two bridges along the Jalan Alor Star-Kuala Perlis and Jalan Alor Star-Gunung Keriang has to be upgraded to support higher traffic volume in future.
“The Drainage and Irrigation Department needed about RM220 million for the bridges' upgrading works and they are now awaiting approval from the Economic Planning Unit (EPU),” he said.
He added that land acquisition for the project also took two years to be completed while all the 72 padi farmers affected by the project have been compensated two months ago.
He said the state government hoped that the project would be completed before the 14th General Election but it is likely to be only delivered by the first quarter of next year.
"We can only reschedule the work progress once we receive the additional allocation from the federal government.
"It is vital for the project to meet its deadline since it will also affect other parts of the flood mitigation project which begins from Changlun,” he said.