LETTERS: There are warnings of continuous heavy rainfall. Limited sunshine will keep the soil saturated and heavy downpour will trigger (another) flooding.
What are the immediate actions that we need to take?
FIRST, the flood simulation report by the Department of Irrigations and Drainage (DID) and other agencies must be used to identify high-risk areas on top of current affected areas. Using this information, the state governments, local authorities and emergency services must be put on standby.
SECOND, downstream areas that have dams and major flood pumping stations (including the SMART tunnel) may also be affected due to the release of water and pumping. Precautions and proper warning mechanisms must be put in place.
THIRD, water gates and other mitigating facilities must be kept at optimum operating condition.
FOURTH, slope monitoring is under the Works Ministry, which has developed a visual detection of failing slope and produced communication materials to identify potential slope failures.
Use the MySejahtera app and other social media platforms to share information to alert the public to take precaution and to assist the authorities so that they take quick action to save lives and ensure that roads are operational during in an emergency situation.
FIFTH, use telecommunications or handphone signals to identify trapped victims if any and this must be done quickly before the phones or devices run out of battery power.
Rope in telecommunications companies to assist in the efforts. Similarly, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission can use short messaging text alerts to warn about high-risk zones through these companies. This will allow anyone within that vicinity to receive warning messages and contact details for guidance.
Erratic weather patterns have been on the rise since the past decade throughout the world. The Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia would like to outline long-term solutions to mitigate the flooding risks.
PROVIDE DID enforcement power to ensure all recommended drainage and mitigation measures are fully complied with. DID must be allowed to issue work-stop orders if non-compliance occurs.
MITIGATION projects are developed based on a location's existing conditions. If the land use of the area changes over time, the mitigation project is set to fail.
This is mainly due to a possible increase in surface runoff beyond the design capacity of a flood mitigation project. Thus, a holistic flood impact assessment must be carried out to simulate the overall impact of every new development project within a local authority's jurisdiction.
DEFORESTATION and loss of natural buffers for flood mitigation are factors that cause flooding to get severe every year.
The auditor-general must investigate the rate of deforestation in the past 30 years and the virgin forest reserve that is left. This report must be presented to Parliament in the next sitting.
BUDGET for flood mitigation and infrastructure for 2021/2022 is approximately RM1.6 billion. Ensure that these allocations and future funds do not go to waste.
Similarly, the auditor-general must audit flood mitigation and flood-related infrastructure allocations and expenditures for the past 30 years to map potential risks a flood mitigation project faces in its operational cycle and make sure that taxpayers' money is put to good use. This must also be presented to Parliament in the next sitting.
PREDICTING future floods to put in place proper mitigation actions is a must. Form a taskforce to simulate erratic weather and flood situations. This simulation is to predict changes in weather patterns and to identify the impacts of climate change and degree of interference.
In the event there is no direct pattern, it will lead to high-cost mitigation measures, as well as resettlement of high-risk zones to new locations. This taskforce must comprise experts and representatives from the federal and state governments.
OPTIMISE telecommunications and digital platforms for warnings and communications to affected zones as recent floods have shown the weakness in communication from the authorities to the public.
Thus, the government agencies at the federal, state and local government level must streamline communications to ensure seamless operations when a disaster strikes.
SAFETY and stability of infrastructure such as building, bridges, flyovers and roads must monitored in flood-hit areas.
A changing weather with climate change may become extreme and hit us frequently. Let us be guided by science and data to chart a better future.
PIARAPAKARAN .S.
President, Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times