Flash floods: Five warning sirens to be installed in KL, says Jalaluddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Five warning sirens will be installed in the city here in to provide early warning on possible flash floods, says Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.

He said preliminary work had started for the installation of the sirens at Lorong Kiri Keramat 15, Chan Sow Lin Tunnel, Taman U-Thant, Jalan Sembilan in Kg Cheras Baru and Sg Kayu Ara.

The warning system is one of the initiatives taken by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in increasing assets for flood disaster management, apart from the installation of an additional 51 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in flood hotspot areas, he added.

He said 13 CCTVs had been installed, with the remaining in the process of installation.

“We know that the Smart Tunnel can help reduce or prevent flash floods, but that cannot cover all of Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (PAS-Tumpat) on the effectiveness of the Smart Tunnel in dealing with flash floods in the federal capital.

To a supplementary question from Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut) on whether the Civil Engineering and Drainage Department at DBKL team would be enlarged, Jalaludin said his department was looking into the matter to carry out slope and hill monitoring tasks.

He said the department currently had a strength of 300 people.

There are 3,441 hilly and slope areas in Kuala Lumpur that need to be monitored,” he added.

Earlier, to a question from Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PH-Setiawangsa), Jalaluddin said approval by the Kuala Lumpur Irrigation and Drainage Department is a mandatory condition before a development order can be approved.

This is in addition to a requirement for developers to obtain the Traffic Impact Assessment Report under the DBKL Infrastructure Planning Department and the Environmental Impact Assessment under the Environment Department as well as the Environment and Water Ministry, he added.

Nik Nazmi wanted to know Kuala Lumpur’s preparedness to face the effects of the increasingly extreme climate, including floods and landslides in the next 20 years.