PUTRAJAYA: Equal treatment must be given to all states affected by floods, whether or not they are aligned with the federal government, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he shared Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's approach of placing importance on the interests of the people and the nation.
"This is not a matter of politics. It affects the people.
"I want agencies to give fair treatment to all flood-affected states, whether or not they support the federal administration," he said to reporters after chairing the national disaster management committee meeting on Tuesday (Dec 13).
The Deputy Prime Minister also said the meeting also agreed on the need to ensure long-term solutions to floods be met, including to have flood mitigation plans in place.
He said although the government had been informed that of the high cost and long-term planning which would span until 2100, an approach to the problem must be taken from now and not "as and when".
He said some of the flood-relief plans include the RM15bil long-term flood mitigation plan by the previous administration.
However, the Prime Minister had ordered a review of flood mitigation projects worth RM7bil after it was found that approvals were given without undergoing the tender process.
The RM7bil was part of the RM15bil long-term flood mitigation plan from 2023 until 2030.
Several flood relief projects were announced under Budget 2023, including the construction of a dual-function reservoir costing nearly RM2bil along the Klang River and Rasau River in Selangor to overcome floods and store raw water.
