THE flood mitigation plan for Sungai Batu Pahat, which is expected to start next year, will benefit more than 35,000 residents in the surrounding area, according to Johor tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar.

He said the RM190 million project, which will be completed in 2026, involved the construction of a dam and deepening of the river as part of the long-term solution.

“This project aims to repair river banks and upgrade embankments so that water from the stream along the river does not overflow, and reduce the incidence of flash floods when high tide coincides with heavy rainfall,” he said in the Johor assembly sitting today, following a question from Gan Peck Cheng (PH-Penggaram) who wanted to know the status of the project.

Raven said for short-term solutions included river conservation in Taman Batu Pahat, Jalan Pantai, Jalan Masjid, Parit Johar, Parit Sri Molek, and Kampung Muhibbah with funding of RM1.07 million.

Answering a question from Jefridin Atan (BN-Kukup) who wanted to know about plans to attract more tourists to Johor, Raven said the government planned to build a mangrove discovery centre in Tanjung Piai and a mangrove research centre in Pulau Kukup.

He said the two centres would be equipped with public facilities such as toilets, souvenir stalls, cafeterias, surau, hotels, and lounges. – Bernama, June 23, 2022.