TANAH MERAH, Dec 23 — The Public Works Ministry has so far identified 94 disaster locations in the country, said its minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said the locations involved 52 state roads and 42 Federal roads in eight states, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Selangor and Perak.
“Of the 94 locations, 61 areas involved floods, collapsed slopes (19 locations), collapsed roads (five), road subsidence (six) and damaged or collapsed bridges (three).
“Terengganu and Kelantan were the most affected states with six districts each, followed by Pahang and Negeri Sembilan with four districts each.
“Two districts each in Kedah and Johor and one district each in Perak and Selangor,” Nanta told a press conference after inspecting the erosion along Sungai Kusial river bank, here today.
However, he said the amount of losses caused by the disasters are still being assessed by the ministry.
“We will immediately carry out repair works on damaged infrastructure by focusing on sites such as Batang Kali in Selangor,” Nanta said.
Commenting on his observation in Kelantan, the minister said immediate repairs will be carried out on the Kota Bharu - Kuala Terengganu trunk road which was damaged due to flooding last Sunday, and it is estimated to cost RM850,000.
“There is no structural damage to the Kusial Bridge in Tanah Merah and it is reopened for public use despite the erosion of the bank on a pile cap under the bridge following heavy rain last Sunday.
“Nevertheless, close monitoring and physical inspection by the Public Works Department (JKR) and concessionaire will be carried out from time to time to ensure the safety of road users,” he said.
Nanta added the public can lodge complaints to the Disaster Operations Room or BiGBen which is a one-stop centre for disaster management covering floods, landslides, collapsed roads, road subsidence and damaged and collapsed bridges involving roads under the supervision of the ministry throughout the country.
— Bernama
