SINCE November and in this month alone, the country has experienced heavy rainfall at numerous locations.
My driver expressed his worry that his residential area will eventually get flooded at some point.
Taman Sentosa in Klang, where he stays along with neighbouring housing areas, is an urban area which has been prone to flooding for years due to being in a low-lying area close to sea levels.
For the past 15 years, the entire residential area has had all types of drainage plans which have been put in place, in addition to two huge retention ponds.
In fact one of the retention ponds was built in place of a low-cost housing scheme.
All measures were taken to elevate the flooding problem.
Wider monsoon drains were built with dual purpose, such as providing space for a playground and to enable water retention.
Despite all these measures that have been planned and implemented, however, it is not enough.
The usage of biomechanics in engineering design of natural gateways for water run-off is the way.
However, the planning can be difficult as weather patterns are ever changing and very unpredictable.
It’s urgent for all of us to sit down and plan what’s best for us. Let’s start thinking of other ways that would help resolve such issues for the long term.
The state governments are the sole decision makers on land issues and they have the power to de-gazzete land for the purpose of national interest.
As such I would suggest state governments to utilise their authority to build mega-sized underground water retention tanks better known as stormwater retention tanks.
This would serve two purposes, first and foremost which is to evade flooding.
While the second would be the ability to recycle the water for both industrial or drinking use.
In the instance should these storages be low on water, the government can alternatively turn to using underground water instead.
Malaysia has huge reserves of underground water which is presently underutilised.
As such, I suggest the state governments could start by identifying lands to serve such purposes as:
1) playgrounds
2) parks
3) Indah Water land
4) football fields
All these areas can be utilised for both purposes.
Additionally, developers must play a role in providing solutions by working with the state.
During my tenure as minister, I had initiated the present laws by bringing about amendments under the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006, which allows the governing of planning approvals under the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID) to include provisions that would be used for the next 50 or even 100 years.
While everyone is concerned about climate change, we can’t be only complaining and finding faults, solutions have to be found and implemented.
The public has to play an active role, know what’s ahead and contribute towards overcoming these issues.
Government agencies on the other hand cannot work in silos but should share knowledge and research with universities as well as the private sector.
Continuous engagement between all parties is very important for us to overcome and plan for the future.
We can only hope and pray for an effective system which will work for the people and the nation especially in curbing annual flooding and dry spells. – December 20, 2023
Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar is a former Kuala Langat MP and former minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources