Beyond evacuation: Strengthening Malaysia’s flood resilience
Moving from emergency response to prevention is key to reducing flood risks in an era of heavier rainfall.
EVERY year, as monsoon rains intensify, familiar images return of families wading through murky waters, evacuation centres filling up and emergency announcements rolling in. In response, authorities often pledge better evacuation plans, faster rescues and improved coordination.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, reiterated this commitment yesterday.
These measures save lives and should not be dismissed. However, they also expose an uncomfortable reality that Malaysia continues to manage floods primarily as emergencies, rather than preventing them as a structural and long-term problem.
Evacuation is a reactive solution. It assumes flooding is inevitable. To break this pattern, flood mitigation must begin upstream, addressing the planning errors, environmental deterioration and governance deficiencies that have exacerbated flooding year after year.
Land use is probably the core of the flood issue. In locations originally intended to absorb excess water, housing complexes, industrial parks and highways have been approved.
Hills have been cleared, rivers narrowed and natural drainage systems disrupted be development. When heavy rainfall happens, which is becoming more intense as a result of climate change, water has no natural pathways but to go but cities, towns and homes.
Stricter land-use rules are therefore required. Floodplains should be recognised as off-limits to new construction, rather than zones that can be negotiated due to political or financial pressure.
Restoring nature’s role as a flood buffer is equally important. Mangroves, wetlands and forests once acted as natural sponges, slowing water flow and reducing flood peaks. Their destruction has left communities more exposed.
Reforesting riverbanks, restoring wetlands and protecting remaining mangroves are not environmental luxuries and not be left as the private sector’s corporate social responsibility initiative only; they are cost-effective flood mitigation measures.
Nature-based solutions often cost less than large-scale concrete projects while providing long-term benefits for biodiversity, fisheries and coastal protection.
Urban drainage systems also require urgent attention. Many were designed decades ago based on rainfall patterns that no longer apply. Climate change has altered the intensity and frequency of downpours, yet infrastructure development has lagged. Poor maintenance, clogged drains and undersized canals continue to worsen flash floods in major cities.
Drainage systems must be updated to meet modern climate conditions, including permeable surfaces, retention ponds and green infrastructure that allow water to be absorbed rather than swiftly sent downstream.
River management is another ignored concern. Rivers must be permitted to expand safely, rather than being constrained by concrete channels that only shift flood risks downstream.
Beyond physical infrastructure, governance remains a significant problem. Flood management is dispersed across several agencies, which frequently results in delayed decisions and unclear accountability.
A single, empowered coordinating authority may boost efficiency and public trust. Flood mitigation measures must also be examined transparently, especially when previous efforts have failed despite large investment.
Finally, floods should be viewed as a major climate adaptation challenge, rather than a seasonal irritation. This requires long-term planning, steady finance, and political will.
Evacuation plans will always be necessary. But if they remain the centrepiece of flood policy, Malaysians will continue to evacuate year after year not because floods are unavoidable, but because prevention has yet to be prioritised.
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