PETALING JAYA: A DAP MP has given Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob some suggestions on several short- and long-term flood mitigation strategies to prepare the country for the possibility of floods.
With Ismail set to meet the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and other agencies in preparation for the year-end floods, Klang MP Charles Santiago suggested that Putrajaya set up an early warning system at all flood-prone districts nationwide.https://ac6f4b188ae70c9cbda1c02a906396c3.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
He called for immediate capacity-building programmes at the district level to equip the public with knowledge and skills on flood-proofing.
These capacity-building events, he said, must involve NGOs, residents’ associations and the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela).
Santiago also urged the government to improve the meteorological department’s weather-predicting capabilities and ensure that Nadma’s relief strategy was updated and widely circulated.
“Nadma (must also) comprise highly killed military and emergency services officials,” he said in a Facebook post.
For the long-term, he proposed that Putrajaya prohibit all logging and land clearing activities in upstream areas to prevent mud and debris from clogging rivers with excess water flowing to the lower plains.
He also suggested the government come up with an effective legal mechanism to integrate policies and mechanisms for flood management, citing the UK’s Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Putrajaya should also set up more large-sized underground storage schemes below fields and stadium pitches to store stormwater runoff as that could help reduce downstream flooding risks during severe rainfall.
Two days ago, the Selangor government advised residents of coastal and riverine areas, such as Klang and Kuala Selangor to be alert for possible flooding because of high tides and the seasonal monsoon.
The Klang Valley and other parts of the country were hit by massive floods last December, which resulted in 55 deaths and caused RM6.1 billion in overall losses.