KUCHING: Proposals on harnessing rainwater to mitigate water shortages during droughts have been submitted to the Federal Cabinet, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fadillah, who is the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), said his ministry has presented these proposals to the Cabinet to obtain direction, which resulted in several agreements.
“One of the agreements is that we need to get the final decision from the cabinet through a cabinet memorandum.
“Aside from that, one of the proposals is to create a dual-purpose reservoir — one to manage floods and reduce flood risks, and another to store water for use during droughts and other purposes,” he said when met by reporters during his Hari Raya open house at the CIDB Convention Centre today (Apr 2).
Fadillah, who is also the Petra Jaya MP, mentioned that four pilot projects will be implemented in Kuala Lumpur and if successful, this approach will be applied in other areas.
He added that other proposals include the use of rainwater in households, though the ministry is finalising these plans.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim directed PETRA to submit the aforementioned proposals to address the paradox of Malaysia experiencing abundant rainfall yet facing drought conditions.
