Local authorities told to monitor flood-prone areas

 

Local authorities were instructed to monitor and improve public infrastructure in flood-prone areas following the transition to the Northeast Monsoon phase from November to February.

The Local Government Development Ministry said these included identifying drains, ditches, sewers, and retention ponds that could cause floods and then carrying out cleaning and maintenance to ensure smooth water flow.

“Development sites must also be monitored to ensure proper maintenance of water flow, such as flood retention ponds, and the development area is clean,” it said in a statement today.

It said the Northeast Monsoon Red Team has also been put on red alert so it will be prepared to provide a quick response should its rescue services be needed.

The Red Team will be placed in 11 states: Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Perak, Terengganu, Selangor, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, and Johor.

In terms of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s preparedness, the ministry said the department has 15,639 personnel, consisting 13,435 full-time firefighters and 2,204 auxiliary firefighters, with 80 percent of their leave being frozen until next February.

“The Fire and Rescue Department is also ready in terms of logistics, with 1,150 types of light transport vehicles, heavy transport vehicles, and marine vehicles to be used in facing the 2023 Northeast Monsoon,” it said.

The Fire and Rescue Department has also identified about 4,795 flood hotspots through the open data of the Department of Drainage and Irrigation as well as monitoring by all fire and rescue stations nationwide and, of the total, Sarawak recorded the highest number of flood-prone areas of 1,034, followed by Kelantan (595 areas), Pahang (554), and Sabah (520).

In terms of flood disaster management, the ministry said a post-flood waste-cleaning operation management plan has been prepared as a guide for all agencies involved to ensure post-flood waste cleaning is more orderly and effective.

“The National Solid Waste Management Department, together with the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation, and concession companies will always be ready to carry out post-flood clean-up operations based on the stipulated plan,” it said.

- Bernama