CYBERJAYA (Nov 8): Malaysia is set to experience 20% to 40% more rainfall during the upcoming Northeast Monsoon season, compared to a year earlier, according to the Meteorology Department.
The monsoon season, typically occurring from November to March, often brings floods that inundate large swaths of Peninsular Malaysia and parts of Borneo.
This year, higher rainfall is expected along the border of Kelantan and Thailand, lasting through December, the department’s director general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said at a media briefing on Friday on the government’s monsoon season preparations.
“In certain parts of Sabah, heavy rainfall could even continue until February and March next year, based on our forecast models,” Hisham said. He also warned that if the rainfall is prolonged and coincides with high tides, the risk of flooding will be higher.
The massive 2021-2022 floods, which affected 11 states, killed more than 50 people and displaced tens of thousands of Malaysians. The deluge, described as a “once in a century” disaster by the government, led to losses totalling over RM6 billion.
The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has identified 4,619 flood-prone areas and 86 high-risk slopes nationwide, its director general Datuk Khairul Shahril said at the same briefing.
A total of 82,794 personnel from various government agencies are ready for mobilisation, he said. Additionally, the government has prepared 8,481 temporary evacuation centres across the country that could accommodate over 2.15 million people.
Flood warnings will also be broadcast through various platforms, including the RakanMET app, social media, and SMS, reaching residents in high-risk areas and complementing the existing siren system, Khairul noted.
Nadma plans to build eight new permanent flood evacuation centres, with one in Kota Tinggi in Johor already completed and fully operational. Other permanent centres will be built in Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak and Penang.
The ceiling cost for each of these centres has been set at RM5 million, Khairul said. “We hope that once the permanent centres are completed, they will help reduce reliance on schools as temporary flood relief centres.”