Flood of lessons to be learnt

THE Meteorological Department has clarified that it issued warnings about the possibility of incessant rainfall a few days before the massive floods that hit several parts of the peninsula, including the Klang Valley. But it only issued the red alert on Saturday, several hours after many parts of the Klang Valley were already flooded.

In fact, the red alert should have been sounded as soon as super typhoon Rai hit the Philippines several hours earlier.

The authorities have explained that warning of heavy rains had been issued over the television news channels, but how many especially in the vulnerable groups are able to watch the news on a regular basis?

The vulnerable rakyat are usually those in the B40 group whose principal concern on a daily basis is not to watch the news but to address bread-and-butter issues for their families.

This is why we are calling for a proactive and credible early warning system to be set up.

Some of the flood victims said they made desperate calls to 999 but they couldn’t connect with anyone. Perhaps the rescue workers were overwhelmed by calls for help at that time.

But whatever the circumstances, it is heart-warming to see so many individuals, NGOs and religious organisations quickly coming forward to offer food and other assistance to those who were affected by the floods, some of whom spent up to 12 hours on their rooftops waiting to be rescued.

The Sultan of Selangor has called for a “more comprehensive action plan” especially when faced with unexpected weather. This is a humanitarian appeal acknowledging the fact that hitherto, the plans have not been comprehensive.

The Federal Government has been quick to come up with relief measures, including a RM1,000 cash aid for every household involved. But there seems to be some confusion on the ground about how to get the money.

On Monday morning, some flood victims went to a district office in Petaling Jaya to apply for the aid, only to be told by the staff there that they were not aware of the plan. The victims were then advised to lodge police reports, but when they got to the police station, there was a huge crowd there.

Is this a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing?

The government has also allocated RM100mil to help repair houses damaged or destroyed by the flood. But this is scarcely enough. The government should carry out a detailed study on the damage inflicted by the floods and then provide adequate financial aid to the victims.

The authorities must also look at improving the drainage systems, which were built in the 1940s and are now woefully unable to handle the needs of the nation’s population today.

We must also not allow irresponsible developers to encroach into environmentally sensitive places like forests and hilly and peat areas. There must be no massive land clearing. This applies to physical development as well as clearing forested areas for logging and mega agriculture projects.

Surface water run-off as a result of the clearing of vegetation and trees will cause or worsen floods during heavy rain.

We should stop blaming the weather for floods and other natural calamities. Nature’s law dictates that if we take care of our environment, it will take care of us.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

Chairman,

Alliance For Safe Community