FREQUENT flash floods in the Klang Valley have become more distressing, particularly for residents who stay in low-lying areas or those commuting by car and park in the office basement area.
As there is often little time to move the personal and household assets to higher grounds, the flooding also damages the furniture and electrical appliances not to mention the fixtures such as flooring, costing tremendous losses.
Last year, the Klang Valley experienced the worst flooding after a two-day continuous heavy rainfall between December 17 and 18, which was followed by two (minor) floods on March 7 and April 25.
The statement from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in relation to the south-west monsoon from May 14 until mid-September indicates that the Klang Valley might experience frequent heavy rain with strong winds and lightning during the next few months.
Besides the Klang Valley, the west coast of the Peninsula, namely Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor are becoming more vulnerable to extreme weather phenomenon resulting in heavy flooding in this case.
Weather patterns nowadays are getting more unpredictable due to the intensification of climate change.
Apparently, the current administration and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) have only recently become more pro-active in flood management and mitigation measures, which the capital city could experience even worse flooding to the point of “submerging underwater”.
The December flooding has revealed a lack of proper and effective coordination between the federal and state governments.
As the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) did not want to lead the flood relief efforts, many people were stranded on the roads and rooftops for days.
There were also unanswered screams of help from flood victims as well as the reports of bed-ridden elderlies partly submerged in floodwater.
For now, DBKL is committed to tackling the flash floods issue in the city centre by introducing 14 interim measures at approximately RM10 mil under the Flash Flood Mitigation Action Plan 2022.
However, the Public Works Institute of Malaysia (IKRAM) requires one year to study the root causes of frequent flash floods and drainage systems. This raises the question mark as to whether KL is set to brace for more flooding in the next six months.
According to the study conducted by the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS) in 2019, Kuala Selangor could disappear by 2030 and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) might just be located next to a beach due to erosion of coastal lines.
The digital stimulation developed by Cent-GPS through the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) model is worrying enough. Many countries have witnessed rising sea levels in recent years.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasted that sea levels could be at least 1.1 metres higher by the end of this century. At the same time, severe flooding events will happen regularly in low-lying cities.
In addition, the C40 network of global cities addressing climate change warned that more than 800 million people living in 570 cities worldwide would be vulnerable to the rising sea levels by 2050 due to the faster melting of polar ice caps than anticipated.
The melting ice phenomenon has been shown in a study based on NASA and ESA satellite data whereby the Arctic Sea ice was about 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) thinner in 2021 than in 2019.
Despite KL being around 7,060 km away from the Arctic Circle, our capital city would face a substantial rise in sea levels within the next few years if carbon emissions remain at business-as-usual levels.
Over the past two decades, Malaysia’s annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have increased from 126.20 million tonnes to 272.61 million tonnes, according to Our World in Data.
In per capita aspect, Malaysia also recorded more CO2 emissions – from 5.44 tonnes in 2000 to 8.42 tonnes in 2020.
Compared to neighbouring ASEAN countries such as Singapore (7.78 tonnes in 2020) and Indonesia (2.16 tonnes in 2020), Malaysia recorded higher CO2 emissions per capita.
Pro-active approach from the Malaysian government would avoid KL becoming the next Jakarta.
Meanwhile, as of January this year, the Indonesian government had started relocating its capital city to Nusantara.
The following are the policy initiatives that EMIR Research would like to recommend the current administration and DBKL to implement for KL:
Moving forward, the current administration should form a Climate Change Commission suggested by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) – Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in January – comprising local and international experts to provide policy recommendations on climate change matters, including adaptation and disaster risk management in the country.
Meanwhile, all Malaysians must do their part in taking care of the environment by not dumping any rubbish into the drain and river, for example.
The behavioural change among citizens would prevent further clogging of drains and rivers, reducing the risk of intense flooding, particularly in the city centre of KL, which has the potential of becoming a flooding city. – May 20, 2022
Amanda Yeo is Research Analyst at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research.
https://focusmalaysia.my/will-kuala-lumpur-become-the-next-flooding-city-like-jakarta/
Created by savemalaysia | Apr 26, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Apr 26, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Apr 26, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Apr 26, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Apr 26, 2024