RM30m to curb soil erosion

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SIMUNJAN: An emergency allocation of RM30 million has been approved to mitigate soil erosion along Batang Sadong.

From left to right: Palanivel, Nancy and Naroden looking at the plan of the proposed projects.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said yesterday the allocation would come “very soon” as the erosion was posing danger to the towns of Gedong and Simunjan along the river.

The fund was approved after the elected representatives of the area, Batang Sadong MP Nancy Shukri and Simunjan assemblyman Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, submitted a proposal for a project to address the problem.

“I will talk to the Implementation and Coordination Unit (ICU) and the Prime Minister for the budget because there are many places along the riverbank experiencing soil erosion,” Palanivel told reporters after visiting Simunjan and Gedong.

He was accompanied by Nancy, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Naroden, who is Assistant Minister of Resource Planning, and senior officers from Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID).

The project will include the construction of water gates and canals. Palanivel added that the emergency allocation was not part of the budget under the 11th Malysian Plan (11MP), stressing that more allocation would be given to the state under the coming Malaysian Plan.

Meanwhile, a press release distributed to the media stated that seven projects costing RM 5.71 million had been implemented to prevent riverbank soil erosion along Batang Sadong since the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP).

Besides that, ICU in the Prime Minister’s Department had also allocated RM3 million this year for similar projects in Simunjan.

According to the statement the state DID, under the 11MP would also request for RM25 million for the projects in Simunjan, and another RM3 million for Gedong.