'RM10,000 in losses': Slow start to Malaysia's flood mitigation measures leaving victims high and dry

JOHOR BAHRU: Mr Yakob Karimun sighed loudly as he attempted to remove thick slabs of mud off his granddaughter’s tricycle with a high-pressure hose. 

All around his yard were household items - shoes, clothing, boxes, food, furniture - all stained brown. The area had a damp smell. 

A flash flood that hit Kampung Mohd Amin in Johor Bahru on Dec 6 forced the family of five to evacuate from their home for a few hours, as waters rose to their chest level. They sought refuge at a neighbour’s home on higher ground, but the damage was done to their belongings. 

“Just from last night alone, I think we suffered more than RM10,000 (US$2,140) in losses. One car was damaged, the fridge is gone,” said Mr Yakob exasperatedly. 

“And it keeps happening. This is the sixth time this year we have been forced to evacuate, last year it was 13 times,” added the 59-year-old. 

The neighbourhood, a 10-minute drive from the city centre, sits on lower ground and is susceptible to flash floods when heavy rainfall occurs at the same time as high coastal tide, causing the nearby Chat River to overflow. 

When the federal government announced that it would expedite flood mitigation measures in March, Kampung Mohd Amin was among those identified as a flood-prone zone, with the promise of installation of drainage pumps. 

However, according to the village residents, nothing has been done yet and the floods that hit the neighbourhood last week were the “worst we have seen”.

“They promised they would help us, we can see the impact of climate change, more intense rain and floods,” said Mr Yakob. 

“Progress has been slow. We don’t see anything installed whatsoever,” he added. 

In fact, it was only on Dec 12 that federal government officials announced that a mini reservoir and embankment would be installed around the village from the start of 2024. 

The situation in Kampung Mohd Amin may be emblematic of issues faced in flood-prone zones in many parts of the country, amid reports of reported delays and abandoned projects in some areas.

Flood victims and environmental experts CNA spoke to said that the Malaysian government must expedite the construction and implementation of these flood mitigation projects to minimise the impact on loss of lives and livelihoods across the country. 

Environmental Sustainability and Water Security researcher Zulfaqar Sa’adi of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) told CNA that urgency in seeing through these projects is paramount, especially in light of more severe rainfall expected due to the impact of climate change in the short term. 

“Just in Johor, for example, the average volume of rainfall is expected to increase by 20 to 30 per cent over the next five years,” said Dr Zulfaqar. 

“The government needs to move fast, approve the tenders quickly, and build retention ponds, dams, embankments (as well as) warning systems. Be quick or risk further loss of lives and livelihood,” he added. 

DELAYED IMPLEMENTATION IMPACTING LIVES

While the government has identified the need to implement these flood mitigation projects, it has evidently faced obstacles due to the re-tendering process as well as financial strain. 

In end-2021, Malaysia saw one of the worst floods it faced when tens of thousands of residents across Selangor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Terengganu and Kelantan were displaced from their homes and hundreds were killed. 

The government - then led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob - announced in its tabling of the 2023 budget the implementation of a flood mitigation plan (RTB) worth RM15 billion, as part of a strategy to prepare the country for the impact of climate change until 2030. 

However, a few months later, following the 15th General Election and the appointment of Mr Anwar Ibrahim as the new prime minister, the flood mitigation projects worth RM15 billion were scrapped. 

Mr Anwar said then that the projects were awarded through direct negotiation, and that the government is expected to save RM3 billion by re-tendering them.

As various parts of Johor, including Batu Pahat, Muar and Segamat, were also hit by floods in the first quarter of 2023, impacting thousands, Mr Anwar, who is also finance minister, pledged that the mitigation projects, especially in Johor, would be expedited. 

However, as of mid-December, the construction for many of these projects has not even started, according to Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, during a speech in a state assembly sitting. 

“As long as the flood mitigation projects are not done, I hope that some of the financial aid can be channelled to flood victims,” said Mr Onn Hafiz. 

“I was bewildered when I got reports recently that the physical construction work for RTB in areas like Batu Pahat, Kota Tinggi, Segamat and Kluang worth RM1.6 billion has not yet started and is only scheduled to be done by 2030,” he added. 

The chief minister added that he has appealed to the federal government for the projects to be completed “three years earlier than stipulated”. 

Mr Rahmat Muhammad, who lives in Kampung Sungai Laya near Kota Tinggi, told CNA that the delays in flood mitigation efforts along the Johor River have proved costly for his community. 

“They announced earlier this year that they were going to build a dam upstream, so that the water levels can be controlled. But we have not seen or heard anything about this,” said the 71-year-old. 

“Meanwhile, the monsoon season this year has destroyed homes, and a few (around half a dozen) of the folks in the village had to be hospitalised,” he added. 

According to UTM’s Dr Zulfaqar, the government has plans to build a barrage off the coast of Batu Pahat, to prevent the water overflow that has caused multiple floods in the area. 

He said that the project has yet to commence. 

The issue of incomplete projects has not been isolated to just Johor. Local media also reported that RTB projects in Sungai Rambai, Melaka have stalled. 

State assemblyman for the area Hasan Rahman was quoted as saying that the project, which is 40 per cent completed, has been abandoned since 2017. Water overflow from the river has been the cause of floods in 13 areas since then, he added. 

Dr Serina Rahman, a lecturer with the Southeast Asia Studies Department at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and specialises in environmental issues in Malaysia, told CNA that the implementation of these projects will inevitably take time.

However she acknowledged that delays due to cost-cutting measures by the government or the funds not being allocated properly would hurt residents, who are mostly rural folks. 

“Good that cash has been allocated to work to alleviate floods. But the process of putting this into fruitful action on the ground will take time,” said Dr Serina. 

“But climate change impacts needed to be mitigated a few years ago, so until it is done, we will continue to suffer these disasters,” she added. 

THINGS LIKELY TO GET WORSE 

Amid slow progress for the RTB projects, environmental experts CNA spoke to warned that the effects of climate change are likely to exacerbate the problem. 

UTM’s Dr Zulfaqar told CNA that due to Malaysia’s topography, it is susceptible to coastal flooding and flash floods, both of which are increasing in frequency and intensity due to global warming. 

He explained that the melting of glaciers and ice sheets will cause sea levels to rise, adding volume to the ocean water and likely to impact coastal areas across Peninsula Malaysia as well as Sabah and Sarawak. 

Moreover, flash flooding will also be more frequent as warmer temperatures increase, putting more moisture into the atmosphere that then gets released as rain. 

Dr Zulfaqar estimated that based on the climate change projection reports on Malaysia released by the World Bank, floods are likely to occur 20 per cent more over the next five years. 

He also spoke about the matter during his presentation on climate change scenarios and water security during the five-day Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 in Johor Bahru in November. 

Dr Zulfaqar also told CNA that based on his research and data collection, Peninsular Malaysia specifically has already seen an increased volume of rainfall between November and January each year.

“This means that the impact of the annual northeast monsoon will be much worse in years to come. Expect more rainfall and if the mitigation efforts are not stepped up, worse floods,” he added. 

For some residents, the increased frequency of rain over the last few years has been clearly felt.  

Fisherman Sharuddin Hatman, who lives on the banks of the Johor River at Kampung Sungai Telor near Kota Tinggi, told CNA his village has seen more frequent and more intense floods over the last five years. 

“It’s been getting worse, and we are so used to floods, especially during the year-end, that it has become the norm,” said the 31-year-old. 

His family, consisting of his wife and three children, has been forced to move to temporary relief shelters over the last five years. 

“Before 2015, floods rarely occurred here but it's definitely more frequent now. There is talk of more dams, better drainage systems being built … but so far, this is all just talk. We haven’t seen anything being constructed,” he added. 

MALAYSIA LOOKING TO DUTCH FOR HELP

In a bid to implement flood mitigation programmes that are cost-effective, PM Anwar said in November that Malaysia is looking to bring in experts from the Netherlands to bolster ideas for its RTB programmes. 

Mr Anwar said that expert help from the Netherlands could “reduce Malaysia's flood management expenditure, which runs into billions of ringgit every year”. 

Although Mr Anwar did not specify what areas of the RTB he is looking to learn from the Dutch, experts CNA spoke to lauded the move as the Netherlands is world-renowned for its effective flood management measures. 

UTM’s Dr Zulfaqar said that a key point Malaysia can learn from them is how the Netherlands integrate water bodies and drainage into their cities and rural towns. 

“There are still floods in the Netherlands, it's a low-lying country so inevitably water levels do rise now and again but somehow they have managed to ensure most of the time there are zero victims. No loss of life, nobody displaced from their homes,” he said. 

“Like the Dutch, We must consider integrating small ponds, reservoirs, and groundwater catchments. This will reduce the impact of intense rainfall,” he added, citing how the Netherlands’ integrated system of dams and water drainage - dubbed Zuiderzee Works - is something Malaysia can apply in certain areas of the country. 

NUS’ Dr Serina echoed similar sentiments, saying it was a positive move that the government is willing to bring in foreign experts who have been successful, but she warned that mitigation efforts will only work if it is done alongside spreading education and environmental awareness to the population. 

“The Netherlands is at the forefront of methods and technology keeping out the sea given how low their lands are. It is always good to learn from the experts, wherever they may be,” said Dr Serina. 

“But on the ground, we also need to have better attitudes to rubbish disposal (as this can clog storm drains), better maintenance of existing facilities that prevent floods, less corruption that enables developments in areas that have been marked out for water retention areas, and less deforestation that adds to top-down pressure when there is heavy rain leading to debris laden landslides that can kill human lives,” she added. 

However, for residents like Mr Yakob who lives in the flood-prone area of Kampung Mohd Amin in Johor Bahru, they are seeking measures to be implemented urgently with tangible impact to reduce loss of livelihoods. 

“Let’s hope we see improvements in the months to come, and hopefully please no floods next year,” he said. 

“I would move if I could but this has been our home for so long, I cannot imagine staying anywhere else, flood or no flood.” ​​​