DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim tells Parliament the ‘extraordinarily high rainfall’ was beyond expectations and the resulting deluge caused RM1 billion in damage. He says Phase 1 flood mitigation projects are on schedule and further work is being expedited.

THE unprecedented deluge at the end of November dumped more than six months of rainfall in just five days, causing severe flooding across Kelantan and Terengganu.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said between Nov 26 and 30, the rainfall recorded at the Drainage and Irrigation Department stations in Tanah Merah and Tumpat, for example, had exceeded 1,167mm of rain in just five days.

“According to the Meteorological Department, the reading (in Kelantan) was at 1,442mm, which is an extraordinarily high level of rainfall.

“In Terengganu, the department’s Besut station recorded 1,761mm of rain during the same period. Overall, the rainfall was at 1,349mm, which is far beyond expectations.

“The five-day rainfall total was more than six months’ worth of average rainfall,” Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat during the Prime Minister’s Question Time.

He was responding to Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (PN-Tumpat), who asked if the Disaster Risk Reduction policy would be accelerated to allow all major flood mitigation facilities to be expedited, including the East Coast Highway 3 project.

Anwar said for flood mitigation projects, Phase 1 covering Tumpat and part of Pasir Mas was 70 per cent complete, and was expected to be fully complete by early 2026.

Phase 2, covering Rantau Panjang and part of Pasir Mas, was being expedited and Phase 3 covering Tumpat, Tanah Merah, Pasir Mas and Jeli was four per cent complete.

“However, the Sungai Kelantan flood mitigation and river management project is nearly complete, in which Phase 1 covering Kota Baru, Tumpat, Tanah Merah, Machang and Kuala Krai is 98 per cent complete, and Phase 2 covering Kota Baru has just started this year and is four per cent complete.”

In Terengganu, he said, the flood mitigation scheme in Kemasik was 91.8 per cent completed and was expected to be fully operational by the end of January next year, whereas the Sungai Tepoh and Benggol Air Lilih schemes had just begun.

The three flood mitigation schemes in Terengganu include the Sungai Besut Phase 1, Gong Kiat and Guntung Luar schemes.

“The flood forecasting and warning programme is also quite advanced, and this flood prediction model system uses a hydrodynamic approach,” said Anwar.

“Flood simulations are generated by combining various inputs, including hydrological data from the programme’s telemetry stations and rainfall forecasts from MetMalaysia, which uses a numerical weather prediction model that incorporates satellite and radar technology.”

Meanwhile, the cost of damage caused by floods had reached RM1 billion, with the repair of schools, hospitals and roads being the priority.

“We are waiting for detailed information on the overall situation. Right now, it seems to have eased slightly in Kelantan and Terengganu, but it has worsened in Pahang, and it is forecasted that Johor will also be affected.

“I assure you that immediate needs, such as food, water and basic facilities, including repairing damaged roads, will be prioritised,” Anwar added.

He also confirmed that ongoing flood mitigation projects, including those in the east coast, were on schedule, despite being initially cancelled in 2022 for re-tendering.

Anwar said the decision was made after the Madani government took over, rejecting direct negotiations which were deemed to be based on “weak foundations”.

“To date, the projects are still on schedule, except for one in Terengganu, if I’m not mistaken. It has not been disrupted.

“We have records that through the tender process, we saved a significant amount of funds compared with what was originally allocated.”

Torrential rain caused by the annual northeast monsoon has led to severe flooding in several states, including Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis.

Anwar said while technical and financial evaluations by the Finance Ministry must be adhered to, he assured that the process would not cause delays in the completion of the flood mitigation projects.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) regarding whether there was any evidence of misconduct in the tender process for the previously cancelled flood mitigation projects.

Anwar said the government had spent close to RM15 billion for flood mitigation projects throughout the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

“There is no country that can guarantee flooding won’t occur; even advanced nations like China, the United States and Europe can’t fully control it. But our efforts must remain strong.”

Additional measures, he said, included advanced monitoring systems for flood alerts and more effective mitigation projects.

Page 1 pic: Two women consoling each other in front of their homes destroyed by floods in Kampung Jubakar Pantai in Tumpat, Kelantan, yesterday.