Summary

The article calls for immediate government action to address Malaysia's recurring flood crisis, emphasizing the need for holistic measures to prevent future disasters.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses a pressing concern over the government's delayed response to the annual flood crisis in Malaysia, which has been affecting the country for decades, particularly during the November-December period. The lack of political will to change policies and alter the status quo is seen as the main obstacle to implementing effective solutions. The article suggests that citizen pressure is crucial to prompt the ruling class to take the necessary actions. Immediate measures proposed include halting construction and plantation projects in natural water catchment areas, building water catchment ponds, conducting river desilting operations, and redesigning the existing drainage systems to be wider and deeper. The author criticizes the government for prioritizing profits over the well-being of citizens and the preservation of natural resources, and urges the implementation of these measures to prevent further suffering caused by floods.

Opinions

The government lacks the necessary political will to address the flood problem due to the benefits the ruling class derives from the status quo.
Systemic change in Malaysia can only occur if citizens consistently apply pressure on the ruling class to change their political mindset.
Protecting natural water catchment areas is crucial, and construction and plantation works in these areas should be prohibited by law.
Desilting operations for major rivers are essential, especially near construction sites, to maintain river depth and capacity for heavy rainfall.
Existing drainage systems are inadequate and require redesigning to accommodate larger volumes of water, and clogged drains must be cleaned to prevent flash floods.
The government is criticized for not prioritizing sustainable development and the protection of citizens' lives and natural resources, focusing instead on profit-driven, unsustainable development.
The article suggests that the government's inaction on the flood issue is disappointing and infuriating, given the long-term negative impact on people's lives.

Take Action Immediately To End The Flooding Crisis

How Many More Times Must The People Suffer Before The Government Takes This Seriously?

It’s high time the government takes urgent measures to solve and prevent the flood problem throughout the country, especially in areas that are frequently affected by floods.

This flood problem has been an annual event in the country for a few decades now, mainly occurring during the November-December period.

But sadly, the government hasn’t taken the necessary, holistic measures required to put an end to this problem.

Lack Of Serious Political Will To Prevent Flooding

I feel that the main reason for this is the lack of political will, as undertaking such measures would entail a change in certain policies, thus altering the status quo, upon which the ruling class has benefitted and profited from for a very long time.

In this case, as with many systemic long-standing problems in Malaysia, true, actual change can only take place by the citizens applying pressure consistently towards the ruling class in order to change their political mindset and take the required action towards effectively tackling this annual problem.

Important Measures That Must Be Undertaken Immediately

In my opinion, measures to solve the flood problem that should be implemented by the government throughout Malaysia immediately, are:

1. Stop and review all construction and plantation projects on natural water catchment areas that are close to the main rivers in each state.

The water catchment areas play a very important role in absorbing rainwater and in effect, prevent the drastic increase in the amount of river water during a heavy downpour.

This in turn prevents river water overflow due to the high volume of water and subsequent flooding of the surrounding areas.

All natural water catchment areas in Malaysia must be protected and laws prohibiting construction and plantation works in these areas must be enacted and enforced immediately.

2. In relation to the step above, water catchment ponds should be built near the main rivers in areas throughout Malaysia that are frequently hit by as well as face a high risk of being hit by floods.

3. Operations to remove silt (desilting) from major rivers in each state should be conducted, especially in major rivers near construction projects.

This is because the sand from the construction work falls into and accumulates at the bottom of the river.

This in turn reduces the depth of the river as well as its ability to carry large amounts of water during heavy rain. As a result, excess water will overflow from the rivers and cause flash floods in the surrounding areas.

4. Existing drainage systems throughout Malaysia should be redesigned to make them wider and deeper.

Most drains in Malaysia are small, narrow, and unable to hold large volumes of water during heavy rain, thus resulting in flash floods.

In addition, the local governments should clean the drains that are clogged with garbage in order to prevent flash floods during heavy rain due to the inability of the clogged drains to carry water.

The authorities should identify hotspots where members of the public frequently throw rubbish into drains and catch and fine the litterers either through CCTV footage or the placement of local council enforcement officers at those locations.

Signboards prohibiting littering should also be erected at those locations.

It Ultimately Comes Down To The Government Not Having The Right Set Of Priorities

In closing, the flood problem has existed for a very long time in Malaysia, has had a bad impact on people’s lives every year and it is getting worse.

The government’s lack of effective, serious action towards solving this problem as well as preventing future incidents, is highly disappointing and indeed infuriating.

This longstanding problem as well as the suffering it has brought upon Malaysians could have very well been prevented, if only the government had, from the start, acted responsibly and prioritized sustainable planning and development as well as our forests and rivers.

This is a clear example of a government that only cares about making huge amounts of profits through rampant, unsustainable development for themselves and their cronies, instead of actually caring for as well as protecting its citizens’ lives, and also preserving the country’s natural resources.

It truly begs the question: How many more times and how much worse must people suffer before the government takes this seriously?

Therefore, the government must urgently implement measures such as the above for the sake of preventing even more hardship towards Malaysians due to the floods. Such measures are way past due.

Originally published at http://reformthesystem0.wordpress.com on August 4, 2023.

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