Malaysia to see ‘significant flooding’ over next three days, experts say
The converging of two weather phenomena in the region is expected to cause “significant flooding” in Malaysia in the next three days, a weather expert has said.
And on Monday, the Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) issued a warning of possible flash floods within the next 24 hours in six states, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Selangor, Terengganu and Pahang.
There are currently 14 districts in five states experiencing floods, with 2,763 people placed in 22 temporary relief centers.
Recent years have seen the annual monsoon floods wreaking havoc across Malaysia, with the last deluge that subsided in January this year taking 54 lives, causing RM6 billion in damage, and displacing nearly 70,000 people at its December peak.
Malaysia’s monsoon season typically starts in late November and ends in early February.
Meteorological expert Prof Azizan Abu Samah from the National Antarctica Research Centre said that an active La Nina weather pattern and a phenomenon known as negative Indian Ocean Dipole will lead to heavy rains.
“More heavy rain increases the potential for major floods to occur within these three days,” he said on Monday, adding that continuous rains would also cause rivers to rise to dangerous water levels.
By early next year though, the weather on Peninsular Malaysia would improve, but heavy rains could be expected in Malaysia’s two Borneo states, which usually hit Sabah and Sarawak around January and February.
Meanwhile, the DID has identified the six states prone to flash floods this week based on weather forecast reports from the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the South-Eastern Asia-Oceania Flash Flood Guidance System and the DID’s flood forecasting models.
Separately, the Fire and Rescue Department has identified 4,795 locations throughout Malaysia that could expect flooding in the near term, said the department’s director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid.
He advised Malaysians and local authorities to temporarily stop recreational activities, especially in high-risk areas such as mountains, hills, rivers and beaches, during monsoon season.
“We understand this year-end holiday period, many families are definitely planning leisure activities in certain areas, but we hope that these can be stopped for a while for now.
“Areas at risk of water surge phenomena, large waves and even flash floods in particular need to be given more attention and preparation to ensure that there are no unwanted incidents during this period,” he added.