The Shah Alam and Hulu Langat areas within greater Kuala Lumpur experienced one of the worst floods in recent history during the Dec 18-22, 2021, period – again, most likely due to localised impacts of the climate crisis.
On Sept 12, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob chaired a National Disaster Management Committee meeting attended by Mentris Besar/Chief Ministers, the Chief Secretary to the Federal Government, all state secretaries, and directors-general and senior management officers of relevant government agencies.
Fewer than half of the countries in the world possess a multi-hazard early warning system to mitigate extreme weather events. This is despite the fact that the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction have reported that a significant majority of the world’s population live in conditions that are vulnerable to climate change.
An example of this is part of a research project led by Dr Minhaz Farid Ahmed of Lester Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia with a national research grant awarded by the Higher Education Ministry that aims to support local governments in disaster management, especially floods.