Flood in Malaysiaby | 02-01-2015 20:29 |
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Flood has affected most parts of Malaysia since mid-December 2014 and is expected to continue until early January 2015. This flood was caused by the heavy seasonal rain and strong winds. The heavy rain fall caused severe flooding in state Terengganu, Pahang, Kelantan, Perak, Johor, Selangor and Perlis. The highest rainfalls recorded at 255 mm). (IFRC, 28 Dec 2014). The floods, which have now affected six states in the Peninsular, are said to be the worst ever in the country's history, with water levels reaching up to the second or third storeys of some buildings. at least 21 people had been killed and almost a quarter of a million people had been displaced by this flood by 31 Dec.
Given Malaysia's geographical location, most floods that occur are a natural result of cyclical monsoons during the local tropical wet season that are characterised by heavy and regular rainfall from roughly October to March.Inadequate drainage in many urban areas also enhance the effects of heavy rain, though efforts are underway to resolve this (see below). Floods in Southern Johor was believed to be caused by the Gore Effect. This is because Johor is not within the usual monsoon affected zone. Moreover, most Malaysian citizen are not that concern about environmental issues espcecailly disaster. This is because they think that the issues should be resolved by districat, local autohority or government. Moreover, the frequency and severity of the flood has increased alarmingly in recent decade. This is largely due to the change of physical characteristics of the hydrological system caused by human activity. In addition, development on the area with densely populated flood plains, encroachment on flood‐prone areas, destruction of forests and hill slopes development also contributed to the increainsg of flood risk.
Government should ensure that all the housing and construction developer follow the rules and regulation to build a proper drainage system. References |
