KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — The risk of frequent floods that comes with climate change has prompted one expert to warn about the potential cost on Malaysia’s economy, as the necessary mitigation work could eat into future federal and state budgets and possibly force cuts to crucial allocations.
Meanwhile, diversion works by channelling the flood water to a neighbouring system, such as the proposed but cancelled Canal City scheme to divert the Klang river flow to the Langat river system.And given the government is already squeezed fiscally, policymakers could be forced to make cuts to key allocations as it tries to juggle and meet other national agendas.
Over the years, the nation’s flood mitigation expenditure has risen steadily from RM14 million in the 2nd Malaysia Plan to RM1.8 billion in the 8th Malaysia Plan , and Lee believes the expenditure would be exponentially higher in the most recent decade. Climate experts believe the mid-December floods were likely a direct consequence of a tropical depression which made landfall on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia as early as December 16, bringing torrential rain over a span of three days.
This, and the poor response to the disaster, have caused alarm and raised questions about the country’s preparedness to face floods of such a scale in the future, especially for a state like Selangor where its infrastructures and urban planning were less designed to be disaster-proof.Children play badminton in front of their house in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam December 29, 2021.