It is time we learnt to build dykes along our rivers

Like it or not, we have to accept that the weather has radically changed over the last decade due to global warming. 

And as a result, in colder countries, it will be colder and there will be warmer days in countries in the tropics. And there will be heavier rainstorms during monsoon seasons for us all.

As such, there is a need to for us to prepare for severe floodings in the future.

So far, what had been done to alleviate floods in parts of the country had failed to keep those places “dry” in stormy weathers. That means the monies from taxpayers spent to keep floods at bay has gone down the drain time and again.

The fact that widening and deepening of monsoon drains and rivers as well putting flood retention ponds in flood-prone areas do not help to empty flood waters anymore. It is not working at all for the “fierce” rainstorms that hit the nation a few days back. It has uprooted trees, blown away cars and houses and caused massive floods and landslides.

In the long term, there is a lot of taxpayers’ monies wasted on works to alleviate floods, of which could be saved and channelled to support other community projects and services.

Dykes and embankments along our rivers

This is what the government should do to mitigate floods in the nation once and for all. It is expensive but on the long run, it is cheaper to put in place something that prevents flooding and the loss of lives and properties.

Thus, it is high time the government makes funds available to put an end to floods nationwide.

This is a job for the federal government to implement immediately and enforce as it is the ultimate solution to stop massive floods in Malaysia permanently. It is widely known that a third of Amsterdam, Netherlands lies below sea level, with the lowest point being 22 feet (6.7 metres) below sea-level.

However, some quarters have reported that Amsterdam is a little less than 2 metres below sea-level and is kept from flooding by a system of dykes and with many windmills constantly pumping water out to the sea.

Whichever the correct measurements are, it is undeniable that Netherlands is almost completely flat and below sea-levels. 

Impressively, the government has managed to keep the country dry and from floodings through a few preventive systems;

1. Through a complex system of dykes, pumps, sand dunes along the coast of
Netherland that keep the land above sea level.

2. The nation has one of the most sophisticated anti-flood systems in place anywhere in the world.

3. They have the world’s best flood prevention engineers to take care of the complete set-up.

The bottom line is, though it is a costly project to put in place, in the long term, the savings from attending to periodic floods problems will pay off. 

Thereafter, the money saved can be channelled to fund other community projects and events.

This is addressed to the federal government. They should send a team to Netherlands to learn how to use the technology to put in place a system of dykes to keep Malaysia from drowning.

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LAU BING is a community activist and writer in Subang Jaya.- Mkini