GEORGE TOWN, Dec 3 — The Penang government, through the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), today launched two multimillion ringgit pilot projects under the Penang Nature-based climate adaptation programme (PNBCAP) that included a flood retention pond, a rain garden and a sunken plaza.

Penang traffic, infrastructure and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the two projects, costing a total RM6,341,350, were to build a flood retention pond in Taman Lintang Nibong and a blue-green corridor in Sungai Keluang, both in the southwest district of the island.

"The goal of the projects is to reduce flood incidences using nature-based solutions,” he said in a press conference today.

The flood retention pond was designed to reduce flash flood incidences in Taman Lintang Nibong and its surrounding areas, he added.

He said the pond will be able to absorb water surface runoff during heavy rainfalls and it also functioned as a green element to increase biodiversity of the area and the air quality.

"It will also serve as a green recreational space for the Lintang Nibong community,” he said.

The retention pond, to cost about RM4.65 million, will be equipped with an infiltration wells system with a pedestrian track surrounding it and three tracks across it to access a six metre by eight metre football field.

Works on the retention pond will start on December 23 and it will take 18 months to complete by June 22, 2026.

This project is funded under the PNBCAP by the UN-Habitat adaptation fund.

Meanwhile, the second project will create a blue-green corridor that features green recreational spaces and modern camping sites alongside Sungai Keluang.

The RM1.68 million project will have a rain garden, a sunken plaza, camping sites measuring 12.5 metre by 4.5 metre, outdoor seating, pedestrian walkways, a green canopy, three crawling tunnels for children, lots for urban farming and 17 different species of trees planted along a 400 metre section of the riverside.

Zairil said this project will turn the riverside into a green corridor that not only benefits the community there but also serves as a flood mitigation system by managing water surface run off in a sustainable way.

The project, also funded under the PNBCAP by the UN-Habitat adaptation fund, will start on December 23 and is expected to complete in 16 months by March 22, 2026.