Budget 2024: RM20 million to repair drains, canals

SHAH ALAM - An allocation of RM20 million is provided to 150 local authorities to carry out repair works of damaged drains and canals.

While tabling the Malaysia Madani Budget 2024, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that it aimed to reduce the risk of water stagnation and flash floods.

Besides water stagnation and flash floods, he also brought up about the landslide tragedy which took place in Batang Kali, Selango, last year.

The Prime Minister said the government had allocated RM563 million to mend slopes nationwide.

The fund, he said would also cover monitoring, prevention and reporting programmes as well as early warning involving more than 2,000 high-risk slopes.

Anwar said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) as the main agency for flood preparation had been granted RM300 million.

He said that the allocation included RM100 million that will be distributed immediately after the tabling through the 2023 allocation to ensure the preparations for floods at the end of this year.

Apart from that, the premier also noted that the government had agreed to increase the allocation under the Tabung Bantuan Bencana Negara (TBBN) from RM100 million this year to RM200 million next year.

Anwar said Nadma would improve relief centres comfort to ensure the welfare of victims.

This, he said included providing nine permanent relief centres, fixing toilets, bathrooms and stores at 1,500 temporary relief centres as well as renting mobile toilets.

He also assured that the government was ever ready to increase allocations if necessary to ensure disaster management was at its best.