by HIDAYATH HISHAM

THE government has affirmed that flood mitigation initiatives under the National Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy are progressing as planned, with no major delays, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the timeline of the projects are not affected despite the retendering process.

“As of now, except for one project in Terengganu, if I am not mistaken, the rest are on schedule. 

“If asked whether there is evidence of cost savings, yes, we have records showing that the transition from direct negotiation to tender processes has resulted in significant savings compared to the previously allocated amounts,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

Anwar was replying to Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi’s (Perikatan Nasional-Tumpat) question about delays in flood mitigation efforts during the Prime Minister’s Question Time in Parliament today.

He also responded to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance-Muar), who asked whether the cancellation and retendering of several flood mitigation projects due to alleged corruption and to save costs, had delayed floods preparations.

“The retendering process, limited to qualified bidders, allowed us to save significant funds compared to previous allocations made through direct negotiations,” Anwar said.

The Opposition had slammed Anwar’s government for cancelling the RM15 billion flood mitigation projects announced by the previous administration led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the projects were halted as the costs were too high and the projects were done via direct negotiations.

The projects were then resumed via open tender.

Anwar also reported the progress in key flood mitigation projects (RTB) being implemented nationwide.

He noted that the RTB Kemasik in Terengganu, which is 91.8% complete, is expected to be operational by January 2025.

Meanwhile, Phase 1 of the Sungai Kelantan RTB in Kota Bharu, which has reached 98% completion, is also set to be ready by early 2025, bolstering flood defences in critical areas.

“In this case, the process was expedited as we implemented limited tenders, allowing at least 10 capable companies to compete, ensuring reasonable cost comparisons,” he said. 

He added that this approach has enabled the government to allocate funds more effectively.

Anwar said that flood mitigation remains a crucial priority to address the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather conditions across the country.

Anwar also said that Malaysia had faced an unprecedented rainfall on the last day of November, with five days of rain equalling six months’ worth of precipitation.

“This, combined with delayed dry spells, resulted in heavy downpours, overflowing reservoirs and severe floods,” he said.

He added that advanced monitoring and early warning systems were being deployed to minimise future risks and improve disaster response.