Floods Cost Us RM600mil in 2022!

Floods cost the country a total of RM600mil in losses in 2022, says the Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM). Losses to public assets and infrastructure made up 37% of the country's total losses, agriculture and living quarters at 25%, respectively, business premises at 8%, vehicles at 4% and manufacturing at 1%. Terengganu recorded the highest losses in living quarters (RM84.2mil), manufacturing (RM7.1mil) and business premises (RM25.3mil). Vehicles made up 62% of total losses due to floods in Kuala Lumpur while public assets and infrastructure made up 76% of total losses in Selangor.

The study was conducted from Jan 8, 2022 to December 31, 2022 where all states were affected except the Federal Territories of Labuan and Putrajaya. 

The impact of flood losses in 2021 was as follows:

In many parts of the country, floods are man-made. Retention ponds or pools designed with additional storage capacity to attenuate surface runoff during rainfall events are being turned into commercial zones. These permanent pond areas with landscaped banks and surroundings are supposed to provide additional storage capacity during heavy rainfall.

Severe flooding is the consequence of deforestation and changing land use. Trees can help defend against floods and afforestation can minimise floods. This planting of plants on a large area gives the land a specific grip and can prevent soil erosion and landslides. Forests create resistance to the flood water which can prevent harm by the floods. Total stoppage to logging activities in the upstream areas would be ideal measure to stop mud and debris clogging rivers and streams with the flow of excess water to the lower plains.

Structural measures are generally adopted in many countries to minimize the effects of floods. These include building embankments, flood walls, sea walls, dams and reservoirs, natural detention basins, improving channels and drainage to divert flood waters.

So many lives, both humans and animals, are lost every year. Properties are damaged. And the cleaning and restoration of homes and lives may take months only to face another storm that disrupts lives.

When will this end? When we are prepared to face those forces that prevent common sense to prevail. When deforestation is stopped. When we value lives and property of the poor. When people in Government and the MPs put in place the needs of their constituency rather than vested interest groups.

References:

Floods cost Malaysia RM600mil in 2022, says Stats Dept, Mahadhir Monihuldin, The Star, 23/2/23

Press Release: Cost of Losses in Malaysia’s Flood 2021 reach RM6.1 billion, Prime Minister’s Department, 22 January 2022

Why were floods so bad? Because we were not prepared, Moaz Nair, FreeMalaysiaToday, 29/12/21