Green rooftops and permeable pavements can help reduce risks of floods

A permeable paver demonstration in Tasmania, Australia. Permeable pavements allow rainwater to soak into the underlying ground, preventing surface runoff from accumulating and flooding. — JJ HARRISON/Wikimedia Commons

Now that we are finally taking a breather from water scarcity and rationing, we are confronting increased flood risks brought by the south-west monsoon, as evidenced by the recent floods in Petaling Jaya, Penang and Kedah. Echoing Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman’s call to create “sponge cities” (“Create sponge cities to prevent flash floods, says SAM”, The Star, April 22), I would like to reiterate that it is imperative for us to pursue climate change adaptation more vigorously now. It is time to move from traditional flood mitigation measures, such as river deepening and drain maintenance, to sustainable urban water management.

There are many successful urban water management approaches for us to emulate and learn from, such as the “Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters” in Singapore, low-impact development in the United States, "Sponge City" in China, a sustainable urban drainage system in Britain and water sensitive urban design in Australia. They all share a main objective: to make urban environments resilient to floods.