Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is utilising 4,000 CCTV cameras around the city to monitor floods. Deputy Federal Territories Minister, Jalaluddin Alias revealed that DBKL also plans to add another 1,000 CCTV units in June, totalling 5,000 cameras located in flood-prone areas.
The remark came after KL was inundated once again earlier this month, just a few months after Klang Valley experienced the worst flooding in decades last December. Aside from flood detection, these cameras will also be used to assist the authorities in aid distribution to flood victims.
The deputy minister has also announced that in the short term, DBKL will upgrade monsoon drains, roadside drains, and culverts, add and enlarge roadside drains, and build retention walls in low-lying areas and along rivers. Coincidentally, the Selangor government recently announced a new seven-day flood warning system as well as other improvements in the state to prevent flooding.
It’s interesting to note that last year, DBKL announced plans to install 5,000 CCTVs in KL to keep track of crime and traffic. It’s unclear whether the flood system uses the same CCTVs as the safety system or a different network of cameras, though the monitoring for both purposes is carried out by the Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre (KLCCC).
(Source: Parlimen/YouTube.)
