SHAH ALAM, Aug 23 — Selangor will have its own early disaster warning system by 2022 with the completion of a joint study between the state government and two universities, including one from Japan.
Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari said Strengthening the Safety and Security of Communities by Understanding Disaster Risk and Community-Led Disaster Risk Reduction (Sedar) study had been conducted since March last year by the Selangor Disaster Management Unit in collaboration with Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica), Tohoku University and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur.
“The focus of this study is to enable the government and the community to effectively address the risks of disasters. This study will focus on data collection such as rainfall distribution and land movement to enable early warning systems for disasters such as flash floods and landslides.
“The team has carried out several studies in areas of frequent landslides and flash floods such as Hulu Langat, Kapar and Klang,” he told reporters after presenting the initial report of the study here today.
Amirudin added that in the initial report, three preliminary proposals have been put forward, namely the need for more efficient data collection, disaster prone area maps and the development of a community communication network for disaster recovery.
Meanwhile, commenting on complaints by residents around Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam over the unsatisfactory condition of the area’s main roads, Amirudin said it was inevitable since the main road was part of the Banting-Taiping West Coast Expressway project construction.
He said he was closely monitoring the progress and issues related to the project to ensure that it would be completed on time or even earlier. — Bernama
