By Zaki Salleh
IPOH – The flash floods that occurred this week require not only a solution, but also the intervention of all relevant stakeholders.
As such, the best approach would be for the Gopeng Member of Parliament and the Simpang Pulai State Assemblyman to organise a public dialogue with residents.
The initiative would provide an avenue to seek a comprehensive solution to the recurring flood problem in the area.
MCA Gopeng Division Vice-Chairman Cally Ting said residents were tired of facing the cycle of floods, complaints, inspections and announcements of temporary measures every time heavy rain occurred.
She said the floods not only caused property damage but also disrupted livelihoods and placed emotional stress on affected families.
“Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI), the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS), the Public Works Department (JKR), as well as the Kinta District and Land Office need to sit down together to resolve this issue.
“Confusion over the jurisdiction of drains, culverts, rivers or roads should not result in residents continuing to bear the losses.
“The Perak state government is also urged to prepare a clear flood mitigation plan by identifying high-risk locations, the causes of the problems, the responsible agencies, funding and the implementation timeline for each project,” she said.
Cally also called on the government to clarify the status of previously announced flood mitigation projects, including whether they had been approved, allocated funding, put out to tender or commenced.
She said the effectiveness of completed projects should also be evaluated to ensure that they genuinely reduce flood risks for residents.
At the same time, she urged authorities to carefully scrutinise any new residential and commercial developments in high-risk areas as long as the existing drainage problems remained unresolved.
“The Simpang Pulai assemblyman and Gopeng MP must step forward to lead efforts to coordinate all relevant parties and ensure that every promise and action is implemented,” she said.
She proposed that the public dialogue should also provide residents with an opportunity to raise questions and obtain clarification on responsibilities, funding and project implementation timelines.
Cally said the session should result in an action plan with clearly defined responsibilities and implementation deadlines, enabling residents to continuously monitor efforts to address the flooding problem.
