11MP: Disaster relief centre will be created to protect 2 million from floods

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — Putrajaya aims to extend flood protection to up to 2 million Malaysians through improvements to its Disaster Relief Management (DRM) initiatives under the 11^th Malaysia Plan (11MP) unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.

This includes setting up a DRM institution to more accurately predict impending natural disaster and better manage the aftermath of floods, after close to half a million people on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia were displaced by the natural disaster last year.

“Improve natural disaster management by creating a basic framework and a DRM institution improving detection and response to natural disasters, to include DRM in development plans and to increase public awareness,” the 4^th core strategy of the 11MP read.

There will also be more flood mitigation efforts by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS), which will implement new and innovative ways to prevent future flooding while at the same time spurring the economy.

“The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) will use new and alternative technology, including multi-functioning mechanisms to mitigate floods and at the same time encourage investments.

“For example, a pond, apart from being a flood mitigation tool, can also be used as an artificial wetland to improve water quality, it can be used as a habitat site for wildlife and also as a recreational park,” the 11MP stated.

JPS will also combine “structured components” of flood mitigation efforts like ponds, diversions and river upgrading work with “unstructured components” like flood maps, flood warning systems and flood proofing to ensure long-term efficacy.

Current flood mitigation methods used by JPS like levees and banks will also be reexamined to ensure that it will be able to handle higher intensity floods.

Earlier this year, the National Security Council confirmed that the floods that hit Kelantan and surrounding states last December was the worst in the state’s history, having displaced hundreds of thousands and killed at least 21 people.