KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 70 per cent of survey respondents across Southeast Asia have predicted that their home country will continue to face extreme weather events over the next decade, taking a significant toll on local economies and infrastructure.
The survey, which is part of a whitepaper entitled ‘Flood controls in Southeast Asia’ carried out by Grundfos, a Denmark-based pump manufacturer, also revealed that the majority of respondents also believe average temperatures have become higher and monsoon seasons have become more unpredictable.
As for Malaysia, the survey revealed 60 per cent of respondents did not believe rural and urban planning for extreme weather events was effective, the highest as compared to their regional counterparts.
Further, the whitepaper also showed 74 per cent believe that Malaysia has not allocated sufficient government funding to tackle extreme weather events and climate conditions while 66 per cent did not agree that Malaysia works well with neighbours to produce solutions for climate change.
Grundfos regional business director of water utility Tan Chee Meng said while Malaysian states are at various implementation stages of their water management and flood control systems, there are some great examples of innovation adoption and planning for flood disaster response, as highlighted in our study.
"However, looking ahead there is opportunity to adopt a more coordinated approach both at a national and regional level," he told NST Business recently.
Emphasising that Malaysia respondents were also less likely to agree that their country was working adequately with neighbours to address the issue, Tan said other countries also shared the same concern.
"We urge for a regional approach to flood management, getting governments and businesses to communicate their best practice initiatives and establish frameworks for prevention and protection," he said.
There have also been calls by industry experts for a more proactive approach to flood management, as many flood relief operations tend to be reactive in nature, with relevant authorities acting after the disaster has occurred, instead of having a policy in place to prepare for the future.
Highlighting Grundfos, Tan said pump technology is an important component for low lying tidal estuaries to manage water flows, and the ability to provide a customised solution for every installation is crucial, as waters from muddy, perhaps polluted confluences, will require different pump capabilities to those operating in sea water barrages or freshwater lakes.
"For flood-prone areas such as Johor, KL, Selangor and Penang, flash floods tend to occur especially in recent years, due to poor drainage during monsoon season, which calls for efficient pumping solutions that are reliable in facing the unpredictability of these extreme weather events.
"As an industry we need to look at solutions that are responsive to changing conditions such as varying water levels," he said.