The rainy season comes in year after year; so are the floods!

As a consequence of climate change, do expect irregular weather patterns to deteriorate.

Indeed, we have watched plenty of videos on floods of epic proportions across the globe on social media in recent years.

To address the perennial problem of year-end flooding, the previous administration mulled allocating RM300 billion for 50-year flood mitigation projects, and had said it planned to seek the help of Dutch experts.

This whole idea was a move in the right direction, as flood mitigation is not something achievable in just a couple of years but is an on-going massive engineering undertaking to fight the wrath of Nature.

A primary cause of climate change has been the excessive carbon dioxide emission created by humans that has breached the 36.7 billion tonnes earlier this year.

Higher temperatures have not only expedited the melting of polar ice, but have also caused avalanches and mudslides following glacier melting across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The recent flooding of northern Queensland in Australia not only submerged cars but also aircraft in Cairns airport.

While flooding across the planet appear to be the works of Mother Nature, in reality it is caused by we humans!

The main cause of global warming is excessive carbon emission. And the destruction wrought by humans to our climate is not just limited to industrial development and power generation, but includes also the following:

Firstly, indiscreet deforestation for cultivation purposes. Satellite records show that some 13,235 square kilometres of the Amazon was cleared in 2021 alone.

Secondly, failure in systematic dredging of riverbed results in thickening of sedimentation over the years and massive flooding following a sudden surge in water volume during the wet season.

Thirdly, failure to install proper drainage system or regular inspection of the same in flood-prone areas in densely populated cities and towns, is predisposing factor for flooding.

Fourthly, failure to build embankments along rivers is another culprit. Other than power generation, dams are also crucial man-made barriers to prevent flooding. Unfortunately we don’t seem to have done this properly, either.

To effectively implement these massive flood mitigation projects, it is imperative that the Anwar administration weed out rampant bidding irregularities before seeking help from foreign expertise.

Following the advent of the northeast monsoon, many places across the country are facing threats from the floods. So far more than 3,500 people in Kelantan and Terengganu have been affected by the floods, and the number could rise further!

The two east coast states aside, other places such as Pahang, Johor, Kedah, Selangor and even East Malaysia can come under the assault of floods, sooner or later!

And floods don’t visit only rural areas. Several days ago, the IOI Mall in Puchong was submerged in floodwaters after a heavy downpour. In fact, floods are getting increasingly serious in Klang Valley these few years!

Still remember the Highland Tower collapse in Ulu Kelang three decades ago that claimed the lives of 48 residents?

More recently, a serious landslide at an organic farm camp-site in Batang Kali killed 31 people last December.

For so many decades annual floods have become synonymous with the rainy season in Malaysia. We must admit that our past 14 administrations did not do enough to prevent floods, and we hope the Unity Government under Anwar Ibrahim will prioritise flood mitigation projects. We don’t want more allocations to clean up the mess left behind by the floods, like what the previous administrations did, for this will not solve the problem once and for all!

We understand that flood mitigation is not something that can be accomplished in a matter of several years. Moreover, after the project is completed, we still need to set aside huge amounts of money for yearly follow-up maintenance. Having said that, this money is well spent compared to the astronomical losses caused by the floods.

Former minister in the PM’s department for economic affairs Mustapa Mohamed once estimated the economic losses in the 2021 floods to be between RM5.3 to 6.5 billion, equivalent to six years of the Pahang state government’s annual budgets, not including depreciation in property value, stalled economic activities, losses in agriculture, fishery and livestock industry, as well as billions of ringgit in government’s annual disaster relief funds.

There wasn’t a year that the country was spared by floods during the past 66 years after independence. Although we do not have the actual statistics, the total economic losses due to floods could easily exceed RM300 billion, equivalent to the sum of the country’s annual budget!

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government would set aside RM11.8 billion in 2024 Budget for 33 flood mitigation projects across the country, including Pahang River basin, Sungai Langat Phase 2 project, Kuala Pilah Sungai Jelai project, Sabah’s Sungai Likas project, Kuching Phase 2 in Sarawak, Baling Phase 2 in Kedah, and Kelantan River Basin Phase 2.

To effectively implement these massive projects, it is imperative that the Anwar administration weed out rampant bidding irregularities before seeking help from foreign expertise.

Last year, through its embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the Dutch government proposed to offer us assistance, sent a Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) Team to Malaysia to evaluate the long-term impact of floods, and to propose the best solutions to tackle the problem.

It is hoped that PM Anwar will diligently follow up on this.