KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov: The central government should stop the Sungai Terengganu embankment project so that incidents such as the incident in Cameron Highlands, where the dam burst, will not repeat.
The Member of Parliament for Kuala Terengganu, Datuk Raja Bahrin Shah, said that the move should be done because there is a report from the State Security Council which expects that five waves of flood will hit Terengganu, including forecasts of heavy rain and tides.
“With abnormal weather and winds over 320 kilometres an hour hitting the Philippines, Vietnam and China, the government should be more sensitive and careful with this situation.
“Similarly with the Cameron Highlands tragedy; the government should take action after the lives of residents were sacrificed,” he said in a press conference here at the Parliament lobby today.
Raja Bahrin said that he had asked the Ministers of Public Works and Environment regarding the issue, however the two ministers did not provide satisfactory answers on the 12th and 13th November.
He said that the government should provide serious explanation because it involves over 200,000 residents in Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus who are at risk regarding this issue.
“The government is gambling with the lives of the people with irresponsible actions. I hope that the government will be more concerned in this case because it has been raised many times but not one action has been taken and reclamation work has already been done twice,” he said.
He also questioned the reclamation of over 80.94 hectares which have been done without carrying out hydraulic studies, and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS) did not supervise the work, with only the Public Works Department (JKR) assigned to oversee the project.
“This is an abnormal situation when the department responsible is not assigned to monitor and handle the project,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Nerus Member of Parliament, Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali, said that he is concerned that the project would affect the surrounding residents.
“This project will cause the people to be in danger because flooding will happen easily is it is not controlled,” he said.