KUALA LUMPUR, February 25– The government has allocated RM22.57 billion to implement 126 Flood Mitigation Plan (RTB) projects across the country as a proactive measure to deal with the flood problem.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said out of the total, 74 projects are currently being implemented, while 35 projects are still in the pre-implementation phase.

He said that the Sungai Golok Integrated River Basin (PLSB) Project is a priority, with its implementation being accelerated to ensure the effectiveness of flood management.

"Previously, land acquisition took more than 24 months, but the local government has guaranteed that it will be completed in 6 months so that we can get the work done immediately. Then, we are able to expedite it further. Previously, in Rantau Panjang, there was phase one, phase two, phase three, but now we can combine all three phases, including those maintained by the National Security Council (MKN), because this involves our negotiations with Sungai Golok, Rantau Panjang and also the matter of dredging and cleaning the estuary of Sungai Golok.

"This involves both governments, Malaysia and Thailand. With this increased pace, there is an additional RM2 billion, but at the same time, if we accelerate, the cost savings for the three phases of the Sungai Golok PLSB is RM1.7 billion," he said during the minister's question session at the Dewan Rakyat, here.

In addition, Anwar informed that Johor Flood Mitigation ha also been given a priority with RM1.64 billion allocated to expedite the process of land acquisition and project implementation in Batu Pahat and Ledang.

In other developments, the Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction with the management of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), which has channeled more than RM200 million to state governments, including Sabah and Sarawak, which were recently hit by floods.

"This measure proves the government's commitment in speeding up efforts to deal with floods and help the affected states," he said.