Melaka waives July water bills for 327 flood-affected families

MELAKA - The Melaka government announced the Melaka Sayang Rakyat Special Assistance (MeSRa) Free Water Bills for flood victims involving exemption from water bill payments for July usage.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said the special assistance involved RM50,000 financial implications for the state government which would benefit approximately 327 families affected by the flood.

"Hopefully this assistance can ease the burden they bear in the post-disaster period,” he said at the winding up session of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly sitting at Seri Negeri Complex here today.

He said details regarding the granting period, eligibility requirements and implementation methods would be announced by the relevant agencies as soon as possible.

"I will ensure that the mechanism for implementing this assistance is simplified. We do not want the people who have just finished cleaning the mud in their homes to be burdened with too many forms, documents and bureaucratic matters.

"If the victim’s data has been confirmed by a government agency, assistance should be channeled immediately, in an orderly and transparent manner,” he said.

He said that although this free water bill assistance cannot replace all the losses suffered by the victims, it is a sign of the state government’s care for the people in facing this disaster.

"I have also instructed all relevant departments and agencies to expedite the cleaning work, damage assessment, delivery of assistance and implementation of mitigation measures in areas that are often affected,” he said.

Melaca Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) director Mohd Adnan Ahmad Fauzi was previously reported to have said that high rainfall in Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah during Tropical Storm Senyar at the end of last year, was among the causes of the floods in both districts on Saturday.

He was quoted as saying that the highest cumulative rainfall, which is more than 100 millimetres (mm) was recorded in the two districts at 2.30 pm. - BERNAMA