Hannah Yeoh & Amirudin Shari Unveil 5 Emergency Steps To Fix Klang Valley Floods Before Budget 2027

Managing water flow across state boundaries can no longer be done in isolation. With 3 out of every 10 Malaysians residing in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, a region driving 41.7% of the national economy, the Selangor state government and the Federal Territories Department have officially unified their flood mitigation strategy.

In a joint statement issued by Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, both administrations agreed on a 5-point plan targeting land management, reservoir capacity, green spaces, sustainable urban development, and water flow.

Aligning Cross-Border Water Flow

Because water flows from Hulu Selangor through Kuala Lumpur before reaching southern zones, both leaders emphasized that drainage cannot be managed in silos. A technical meeting will convene within two weeks to outline exact costs, funding sources, and implementation timelines. Preliminary findings will be submitted prior to the upcoming Parliamentary sitting and the tabling of Budget 2027.

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Long-Term Dam Studies & Retention Upgrades

Flash floods inundate Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in 2022 following heavy rainfall. (Photo credit: Hazreen Mohamad / Harian Metro)

Beyond immediate desilting, engineers will assess whether the Batu Dam and Klang Gates Dam can withstand regional rainfall demands for the next 2 to 3 decades.

Concurrently, three existing retention ponds in Selangor, Kampung Laksamana, Sungai Kertas, and Bukit Lagong, have been slated for capacity expansion. Expanding the Bukit Lagong facility will require degazetting a portion of its surrounding forest reserve land. To support ongoing desilting works, Kuala Lumpur JPS is securing a 30-acre dedicated sediment disposal site within Selangor to manage dredged materials safely.