Sungai Pinang:Phase 1 of the Sungai Pinang Flood Mitigation Scheme (RTB) project is now 50.86 percent complete.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the RM114.8 million project commenced on September 21, 2023, and is projected for completion by September 20, 2027. State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari stated that the primary objective of the project is to reduce flood risks by offering protection against floods with a 100-year return period. Additionally, it aims to decrease the flood-prone area in part of the Sungai Pinang Basin by 10.15 percent while minimizing damage to public infrastructure, properties, homes, transport networks, and other facilities.

Zairil, who recently inspected the site to assess progress, outlined the main scope of the project. This includes improvement works along Sungai Pinang, such as deepening and widening a 1,400-metre stretch of the river and constructing a 1,020-metre parallel drain. The project also involves upgrading the drainage outfall system, building a piano key weir, and establishing a pump house with two screw pumps, each capable of handling 2.0 cubic meters per second, along with an ancillary building.

He further explained that the Sungai Pinang Basin covers a total catchment area of 51 square kilometers in the Timur Laut district, with the 3.2-kilometer-long Sungai Pinang serving as the main drainage channel to the sea. Rapid development around the basin has altered the catchment area, leading to higher ground surface levels and changes in surface water runoff. Consequently, the existing drainage system struggles to manage high water runoff during heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of flash floods.