Local authorities-agencies coordination needed

TELUK INTAN: There must be coordination between local authorities and government agencies in order to resolve the flood problem in Perak.

Chairman of the State Public Utilities, Infrastructure, Energy and Water Committee Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin said this would be brought up at the State Action Meeting today.

He said the meeting which would be chaired by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir would coordinate the administration of road and drain boundaries in the state as well as make clarifications so that the parties concerned knew their actual roles and responsibilities.

“The people usually contact the district office and town council, but when checked, the problem is not under them but under the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID).

“As such, we plan to set up a OneStop Centre which will manage the drainage, either in urban or rural areas,” he said.

He was speaking after presenting RM300- contributions to nine families staying at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Pengkalan Ara evacuation centre here yesterday.

Also present were Hilir Perak assistant district officer Zulhisham Ahmad Shukori and Hilir Perak District Civil Defence Force Officer Mohd Fazly Mohamad Zawawi.

The 39 flood victims from Kampung Pengkalan Ara who had been staying at the centre since Saturday because of flash floods were allowed to go home this afternoon.

Zainol Fadzi said the coordination of work between the departments must be under one special committee so that they would not be blaming one another or cause confusion among the people. — Bernama