State infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim said river widening and deepening works were ongoing, but it would take time to show results, Kosmo reported.

“Flood mitigation cannot be completed in a few months. It takes time to widen rivers and come up with detailed designs. We must follow the procedure… These things cannot be done quickly,” Izham said.

He said the state government was already using best practices in water management from the Netherlands, China and Germany, but their effectiveness was limited.

He also said foreign technology could not be applied wholesale in Selangor because of differences in rainfall, development density and land conditions.

Izham said the Netherlands received only about 700mm to 900mm of rainfall a year, compared with almost 3,000mm in Selangor.

“Even if we use foreign technology, we have to be realistic. Our soil structure, development density and rainfall are all very different. The most important thing is not just to adopt the technology, but to adapt it to the conditions in Selangor,” he added.

Yesterday, Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah expressed regret over the state government’s continued failure to address the persistent floods in the state.

In opening the April sitting of the Selangor assembly, Sultan Sharafuddin said flooding has been a persistent issue in the state which should be dealt with urgently.

The ruler suggested that the state seek outside expertise, including from the Netherlands, to address the matter.