KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM46.4 million has been channelled to Sabah between 2022 and 2025 to carry out 346 small-scale river conservation works aimed at reducing flood risks in the state, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.
He said the allocation, disbursed through the Irrigation and Drainage Department under the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra), covered key scopes such as river desilting, riverbank stabilisation, and the upgrading of drains and related structures.
“These works are implemented according to the priority needs of each district to ensure the impact is more effective and comprehensive,” he told the in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN–Kinabatangan), who asked about the federal government’s strategic plans to resolve Sabah’s flooding issues, including the list of completed, ongoing, and upcoming mitigation projects and the locations of critical hotspots.
Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister said the federal government remains committed to minimising the impact of floods in Sabah through both structural and non-structural mitigation measures.
Under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), he said 15 flood mitigation projects worth RM948.1 million were being implemented in Sabah as part of the structured approach.
“To date, five projects have been completed, one is in the pre-implementation phase, and nine others are currently underway,” he said.
For non-structural measures, he said JPS is conducting several Flood Mitigation Master Plan (PITB) studies to support policy development and guide long-term strategies to address flooding more effectively.
“From 2020 until August 2025, three PITB studies are ongoing. These cover Sungai Membakut, the Bongon and Tandek river basins, and the river basin in the Kudat district,” he said.
Fadillah added that for the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Petra has submitted several new proposals to the Economy Ministry for consideration, including the Pegalan River Conservation Project in Keningau, the Bayayo River Conservation Project in Bingkor, and a statewide river conservation initiative to address erosion and reduce flood risks.
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