The Malacca government has called on all parties involved to cooperate in maintaining the drainage system in the state according to schedule to ensure major floods do not occur especially during the current monsoon season.

State Public Works, Transport and Public Utilities Committee chairperson Mohd Sofi Abdul Wahab said local authorities, district offices, Village Community Management Councils, Public Works Department (JKR) and the Drainage and Irrigation Department despite having different roles could work together more effectively with better cooperation.

"We hope all parties would adhere to the standards and regulations (on drainage system maintenance) according to schedule as we know floods occur when drains and rivers are not properly maintained.

“The rain may be heavy but with the drainage system clogged with grass and mud, the situation is worsened and as such all parties should not take lightly frequent cleaning up of drains,” he told Bernama.

He was commenting on an exclusive Bernama report on Wednesday (Dec 18) on residents in flood-prone areas calling on the state government as well as departments and agencies to carry out more effective maintenance of the drainage system to avoid major floods with continuous heavy rain now.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sofi said Malacca JKR had been directed to identify roads affected by frequent flash floods.

He said among the problems identified are utility pipes and cables laid next to the drains which obstruct water flow.

"For the long term, we have identified such sites and relocate them and PBT should look into avoiding such problem structures in its future plan for a holistic solution,” he added. - Bernama