State exco man says it is hurtful to hear he is unconcerned about such problems as his Datuk Keramat area is badly affected by floods.
A forum member had criticised the Pakatan Harapan state governement over the lack of attendance by elected reps at a talk on floods yesterday.
“We have listened to you (Penang Forum) since 2008. I am deeply concerned about floods as you are. It is something that I hold close to my heart.
“I have waded in floodwaters up to my chest during floods to help victims.
“If there is any YB (elected rep) that has suffered a lot when it comes to floods, it is me. Datuk Keramat area is prone to flash floods.
“I suffer with them. I take offence to any insinuation that I am not bothered.
“I have thanked the forum for its invitation to the event and due to unavoidable circumstances I was not available to attend.
“Nevertheless, my door is always open to any of the members who wants to talk,” Jagdeep said during a press conference today.
Yesterday, Bandar Baru Air Itam Joint Residents’ Association chairman K Suthakar poured scorn on the abysmal turnout by elected reps at a talk on floods yesterday.
The talk saw two experts on floods and landslides analysing the recent tragedies to have befallen Penang.
The event saw four PKR reps and one DAP rep attending. Opposition leader Jahara Hamid and two other BN elected reps also joined in.
State BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow was also present with Gerakan members in tow.
Jagdeep said questions ought to be asked on why the BN government abandoned the most critical flood mitigation project (FMP) on Penang Island, which was the Sungai Pinang FMP in 1999.
He said the previous government had stopped doing anything for nearly 18 years and the present-day state government had cleared all obstacles to widen and deepen the river.
“But funding for this project has been trickling in at best and sometimes there’s nothing at all. This has left us in the lurch.”
Funding for flood projects
Last month, the Penang government had claimed the federal government only spent RM443 million on flood mitigation projects in Penang from 2006 to the present date.
It made the statement to refute Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s recent remark that “RM2.6 billion” worth of flood mitigation projects were implemented in Penang.
Junaidi’s claim was supported by the Penang Federal Action Council chief Zainal Abidin Osman, who issued a list of flood mitigation projects worth RM2.04 billion purportedly carried out by the federal government.
The federal leaders’ statements came after the Penang government asked for “at least RM1.1 billion” which it claimed was the balance of funds allocated for flood mitigation projects in the state.
State flood mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow, in giving details, said “it is clear that many flood mitigation projects were not implemented in full to resolve the flood woes in Penang”.
The Sungai Pinang River Basin FMP is a vital project to curtail floods at low-lying areas near Penang island’s longest river, Sungai Pinang.
The three-phased FMP was first initiated by the federal government in 1998 to address frequent flooding problems.
The first phase of the project began in 1998 with the widening and deepening of the river from the estuary to the Jalan Patani bridge, at a cost of RM6.45 million.
The second phase was carried out between the Patani Road bridge and Dobby Ghaut in 1999.
The final and third phase was to focus on the final upstream portion of the river. It is two-pronged; first to improve the water quality; and, secondly, to widen and deepen the river.
This particular phase was delayed as the city council had to remove squatters by the riverbank to allow the mitigation project to take place. The squatters were cleared two years ago.
In the November sitting of the state assembly last year, it was revealed that most of the FMPs approved in Penang were in BN-held areas.
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