PETALING JAYA: With Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stressing that the floods currently affecting Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to be worse than the 2014 disaster, an academic has called for stricter laws to regulate development in flood-prone areas to minimise flood risks and protect communities.

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Faculty of Earth Science Assoc Prof Dr Mohamad Faiz Mohd Amin said it is crucial to have clear zoning regulations that categorise high-risk areas as non-developable.

“Such regulations should be enforced to prevent construction that could worsen flooding. Environmental impact assessments must be strengthened to ensure that all development projects consider flood risks and incorporate mitigation measures.

“Laws could also mandate the inclusion of sustainable urban planning features, such as green infrastructure, permeable surfaces, and natural flood retention areas to reduce runoff and enhance water absorption,” he said. The Social Welfare Department’s Info

Banjir portal said the number of flood evacuees nationwide has reached 85,652 as of press time.

Mohamad Faiz said the increasing intensity of floods in Malaysia is strongly linked to climate change, and that sea levels have been rising at rates of 3.2mm/year in Peninsular Malaysia, and 2.9mm/year in Sabah and Sarawak since the 1980s.

Projections indicate a rise of up to 0.25m by 2050, significantly heightening the risk of coastal inundation.

“Additionally, increased rainfall intensity during the northeast monsoon is expected to expand flood-prone areas from 6.5% to 8.9% of Malaysia’s land area by 2100, exposing more communities and infrastructure to severe flooding.

“These changes, compounded by urbanisation and deforestation, exacerbate the vulnerability of urban and coastal regions to flooding, and underline the urgent need for robust mitigation and adaptation strategies.”

Mohamad Faiz said Malaysia’s drainage systems and flood barriers, while functional under normal conditions, are often inadequate to handle the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events driven by climate change.

“Many existing systems were designed decades ago, based on historic rainfall patterns, which do not account for the current increase in extreme precipitation.”

He said recent flood mitigation measures included the implementation of retention basins and upgraded river embankments under the RM11.8 billion allocated in Budget 2024, but the pace of upgrading infrastructure may not fully match the rapid escalation of weather extremes.

Mohamad Faiz said in certain areas, particularly in rapidly urbanising or rural regions, the complete absence of proper drainage systems leaves communities entirely exposed to floodwaters, with no mechanisms to channel or manage excess rainwater.

“Additionally, infrastructure designed based on outdated rainfall data fails to account for current climate variability, leaving these regions even more vulnerable.”

He suggested that Malaysia could learn from successful flood mitigation projects in other countries.

For example, the Netherlands’ “Room for the River” programme, which creates space for rivers to overflow by relocating dykes and expanding floodplains.

“The strategy could be applied to river basins like Sungai Kelantan, where flood plains could be restored to manage overflow during heavy rainfall.

Tokyo’s G-Cans Project, which uses underground tanks and tunnels to redirect floodwater, could also be adopted in cities like Kuala Lumpur or Johor Bahru to manage flash floods from rapid urbanisation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pertubuhan Alam Sekitar Sejahtera Malaysia president Mohd Yusaimi Yusof urged policymakers to focus on enforcing existing policies effectively to prevent floods from worsening.

“Existing regulations may fall short in effectively reducing flood risks, highlighting the need for stricter enforcement to ensure compliance and better coordination among agencies involved in environmental management. All levels of society must understand and take action to address these effects,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Jumlah mangsa banjir di tujuh negeri semakin berkurangan kepada 77,695 orang petang ini berbanding 95,207 yang direkodkan, pagi tadi.

Berdasarkan portal Info Bencana Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) setakat jam 3 petang, mangsa terdiri daripada 23,459 keluarga yang masih berlindung di 274 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS.

Daripada jumlah itu, Kelantan masih merekodkan jumlah mangsa tertinggi dengan 46,681 orang daripada 14,836 keluarga yang ditempatkan di 101 PPS.

Di Terengganu, 21,975 mangsa daripada 5,813 keluarga dari lapan daerah terjejas masih mendapatkan perlindungan di 101 PPS.

Di Kedah, seramai 7,123 mangsa daripada 2,251 keluarga ditempatkan di 37 PPS, manakala sebuah PPS masih beroperasi di Pahang bagi menempatkan empat mangsa daripada sebuah keluarga.

Johor pula mengaktifkan 22 PPS di dua daerah bagi memberi perlindungan kepada 1,096 orang daripada 312 keluarga dengan Perak menempatkan 644 orang daripada 202 keluarga di 10 PPS.

Selain itu, dua PPS di Melaka masih dibuka bagi menempatkan 172 orang daripada 44 keluarga.

KUALA LUMPUR: Jumlah mangsa banjir di tujuh negeri semakin berkurangan kepada 77,695 orang petang ini berbanding 95,207 yang direkodkan, pagi tadi.

Berdasarkan portal Info Bencana Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) setakat jam 3 petang, mangsa terdiri daripada 23,459 keluarga yang masih berlindung di 274 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS.

Daripada jumlah itu, Kelantan masih merekodkan jumlah mangsa tertinggi dengan 46,681 orang daripada 14,836 keluarga yang ditempatkan di 101 PPS.

Di Terengganu, 21,975 mangsa daripada 5,813 keluarga dari lapan daerah terjejas masih mendapatkan perlindungan di 101 PPS.

Di Kedah, seramai 7,123 mangsa daripada 2,251 keluarga ditempatkan di 37 PPS, manakala sebuah PPS masih beroperasi di Pahang bagi menempatkan empat mangsa daripada sebuah keluarga.

Johor pula mengaktifkan 22 PPS di dua daerah bagi memberi perlindungan kepada 1,096 orang daripada 312 keluarga dengan Perak menempatkan 644 orang daripada 202 keluarga di 10 PPS.

Selain itu, dua PPS di Melaka masih dibuka bagi menempatkan 172 orang daripada 44 keluarga.

KUALA LUMPUR: Banjir teruk yang melanda Pantai Timur khususnya Kelantan dan Terengganu berpunca daripada hujan lebat berterusan melebihi tempoh enam jam yang membawa limpahan hujan dua kali ganda, sekali gus mengakibatkan kenaikan paras sungai berbanding 2014.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, berkata faktor sedemikian membuatkan banjir di dua negeri itu menjadi teruk berbanding 10 tahun lalu.

Selain itu, katanya, ia juga disebabkan pertembungan air pasang besar serta permulaan musim tengkujuh yang bermula dari 5 November lalu dan dijangka berterusan hingga Mac depan.

"Punca banjir di Kelantan dan Terengganu disebabkan hujan lebat melebihi enam jam yang membawa limpahan hujan (aliran) dua kali ganda lebih tinggi daripada kebiasaan yang berbeza mengikut tempat.

"Ada tempat limpahan hujannya melebihi dua kali ganda daripada jumlah purata hujannya daripada biasa selain didorong keadaan air pasang besar.

"Ini bermakna paras sungai, laut yang sedia tinggi bertembung dengan hujan mengakibatkan limpahan sungai lebih tinggi daripada 2014," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam sidang media selepas mengadakan lawatan ke Bilik Gerakan Banjir di Pusat Ramalan dan Amaran Banjir Negara (PRABN) di Jabatan Pengaliran dan Saliran (JPS) Ampang di sini, hari ini.

Fadillah yang juga Menteri Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air, sebelum itu turut melawat Bilik Gerakan Banjir di Wisma Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) di Jalan Timur 19, Petaling Jaya.

Beliau bagaimanapun tidak menolak kemungkinan aliran limpahan sungai itu mengalir ke Pahang dan Johor dan membawa risiko banjir sama ke arah selatan.

"Mengikut jangkaan, selepas ini, Pahang dan Johor pula mengalaminya. Justeru kita membuat pemantauan rapi dan bersiap siaga dari sekarang hingga Mac depan.

"Kita akan mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga sehingga Mac dan sentiasa memantau aliran aliran air sungai dan juga hujan," katanya.

Katanya, seperti dimaklumkan Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (MetMalaysia) musim tengkujuh ini diramalkan membawa lima hingga tujuh episod hujan lebat membabitkan Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Sarawak dan Sabah.

"Memang diramalkan banjir besar berpotensi berlaku di 4,617 kawasan panas banjir akibat limpahan sungai selepas hujan lebat berterusan melebihi enam jam," katanya.

"Setakat semalam, tujuh amaran banjir dikeluarkan di Besut, Setiu (tiga) dengan risiko banjir bermula hari ini hingga 6 Disember.

"Sementara itu, menerusi episod hujan dari 26 hingga 30 November lalu, menyaksikan 674 notifikasi hujan lebat melebihi 60 milimeter (mm), 27,972 notifikasi aras air sungai tahap bahaya dengan Kelantan mencatatkan bacaan hujan luar biasa di sembilan stesen termasuk Kusial, Tanah Merah (1,167mm), manakala bacaan tertinggi di Kalabe, Besut (1,439mm)," katanya.