AIR Putih assemblyman Lim Guan Eng has praised the efforts by Penang Island City Council and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia in mitigating flash floods in the Jalan Goh Guan Ho and Jalan Lumba Kuda areas, while urging for a proposed RM500,000 drainage upgrading project to be implemented as soon as possible.
Speaking during a press conference in Air Putih today, Lim said the proposed project involves upgrading the drainage system and widening drains into 1200mm x 1200mm precast box culverts on both sides of Jalan Goh Guan Ho to prevent flash floods.
“The estimated cost for the project is RM500,000, and we will request MBPP to carry out the project with support from the chief minister.
“According to MBPP, the project is expected to utilise the remaining allocations from the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) and the Economy Ministry, subject to approval from both ministries,” he said.
Lim said he raised the matter to demonstrate the state government’s continued concern over basic infrastructure issues affecting residents in the area.
“We hope the drains can be built in the near future to help resolve the problems faced by the residents here,” he added.
He stressed that the proposal not only involves upgrading the drainage system, but also the road shoulders along Jalan Goh Guan Ho.
“When you widen the drains, the road shoulders must also be upgraded. These two components go hand in hand.
“You cannot upgrade one without the other because it will create future problems. Once the drains are widened, the road shoulders must also be improved,” he said.
In a written reply by state executive councillor Jason H’ng Mooi Lye on behalf of the chief minister during the recently held State Legislative Assembly Sitting, MBPP said it hoped to implement the works in the third quarter of 2026, subject to approvals from KPKT and the Economy Ministry.
Lim also highlighted several flood mitigation initiatives that had already been implemented by MBPP and DID in the affected areas.
Among them was an RM332,050 project completed in 2019 involving road elevation and drainage upgrading works at the Jalan Lumba Kuda and Jalan Goh Guan Ho junction.
The project included the construction of a 1500mm x 1500mm box culvert and installation of a flap gate system to prevent backflow from the Jalan Lumba Kuda drain into nearby residential areas.
In addition, DID had imposed conditions on developer M-Summit Group through the Scots Pavilion development to carry out an additional Sungai Air Itam crossing along Jalan Scotland in 2020.
The additional crossing involved pipe culvert construction using the jacking method beneath Jalan Scotland to overcome a water flow bottleneck beneath the bridge in the area.
According to MBPP, the implementation of both projects had successfully reduced the frequency and impact of flash floods around Jalan Goh Guan Ho and Jalan Lumba Kuda.
MBPP added that continuous monitoring would continue to ensure flash flood issues in the surrounding areas are comprehensively addressed.