JOHOR BARU, Nov 14 — The state government is confident of the level of preparedness of officers involving various agencies and initial preparations in monitoring the flood situation to safeguard the people.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state’s leadership line-up had also gone onto the field to ensure that proper assistance was given to the victims in each affected area.

"As I mentioned before, the flood issue in Johor is generally caused by a combination of the high tide and heavy rain that occur simultaneously.

"However, at the same time, various short, medium and long-term measures are being implemented to resolve this flood issue,” he told reporters after a meet-and-greet session with the Chinese community at a coffee shop here, today.

Onn Hafiz said among the initiatives that had been implemented include the widening of rivers as well as improvements to the drainage systems in flood-prone areas.

Flash floods have hit the state several times since the beginning of the month involving several districts including Segamat, Johor Baru, Kulai, Kluang and Pontian.

Earlier, Onn Hafiz spent about an hour in a friendly meeting with the Chinese community along with Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Pasir Gudang candidate Noor Azleen Ambrose and Pasir Gudang MCA chief Tan Tuan Peng. — Bernama