KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Singapore will hold a technical working group meeting on Nov 5 to review the emergency response plan (ERP) for Johor's Linggiu Dam and assess potential risks to areas
Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof told the Dewan Rakyat that the review would be conducted jointly by the ministry and Singapore's Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment following an agreement reached on Aug 3 under the 1962 Johor River Water Agreement.
The review will cover safety measures, including flood inundation maps, early warning systems and evacuation zones.
"We will detail all the necessary steps to ensure that, from a safety perspective, when something happens, it can be viewed in its entirety," he said.
Fadillah said the Linggiu Dam is under the regulatory control of Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB), in accordance with the provisions of the 1962 Johor River Water Agreement and the 1990 Supplementary Agreement, which govern its construction and operation.
He said dam owners were responsible for preparing emergency response plans and standard operating procedures, including measures to coordinate with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
"We have to improve in terms of early warnings so we can install them in critical areas. Sirens, for example, will be installed to give warnings so that people can evacuate," he said.
He said that the ministry's dam monitoring team, known as the Dam Safety Flying Squad, has conducted periodic assessments to check dam owners' preparedness and compliance with safety guidelines.
Fadillah was responding to a question from Haji Manndzri Haji Nasib (BN-Tenggara) on the Linggiu Dam's structural safety, periodic monitoring and the effectiveness of the Flying Squad in auditing its integrity.
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