PARLIAMENT It will cost at least RM40 billion to carry out flood mitigation works nationwide, and the cost may balloon to RM60 billion if the work is delayed, a minister told Parliament today.

However, when asked if he had a time frame to complete the mammoth efforts, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that there just wasn't enough funds.

“You can't be so definite in implementing (projects) like this. I wish I had a lot of money,” he told reporters when met in the Parliament lobby today.

For now, he explained that the allocation for flood mitigation projects and the actual implementation will be carried out in stages.

He said none of the states that requested for flood mitigation funding from the federal government got 100 percent of what they asked.

Wan Junaidi said this while explaining why Penang only got RM150 million of the RM350 million the state government asked for flood mitigation works along Sungai Pinang.

The minister said the implementation of such projects will take time, hence it was not a problem that only a portion of the requested allocation was given under Budget 2017.

He added that the state government could ask for additional funding next year.

Earlier in the House, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) agreed that the issue of flood mitigation should not be politicised, and said the state government would give its full cooperation.

He added that the hoped Putrajaya would give additional funds if the RM150 million allocated for the state was insufficient.

Flooding is a regular occurrence in Malaysia especially during the monsoon season near the end of the year, affecting thousands of people.