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1 ASSESSING MALAYSIAN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR FLOOD Noorhashirin H. 1, Nor Faiza T. 1, Mohammad Farhan R. 1, Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 2* 1 Doctor of Public Health Candidate, Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia. 2 Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia. *Corresponding author: Associate Professor Dr Muhamad Hanafiah Juni Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia. hanafiah_juni@upm.edu.my ABSTRACT Flood has been one of the most recurring disasters in Malaysia since the early 1920 s. Previously it was limited to the city centre with flash floods occurring at various intervals. With the major development and expansion of the country as a whole, various states especially those located in the eastern coastal regions have been badly affected over the recent years. The capital Kuala Lumpur has also not been spared. Various agencies play a role in the mitigation and preparedness in the event of a flood disaster and this article aims to look at the strategic planning and also assess the Malaysian disaster preparedness as a whole. They are however very limited papers and research done on the disaster preparedness in Malaysia, and the majority of the paper has used guidelines, Acts and Laws, reports and also direct Ministerial regulations to help assess the disaster preparedness plan in Malaysia. The paper found that there are many areas of assessment and key agencies involved. The disaster plan in Malaysia at present is not perfect and there is much room for improvement and upgrading. Keywords: Disaster, Preparedness, Flood, Malaysia 1.0 Introduction Malaysia s topographical and geographical location predisposes the nation to a number of natural hazards that may lead to disasters. Floods are the primary hazard affecting Malaysia, ranking in the top most common hazards. Landslides and droughts are also significant though their effects are limited to much smaller areas in the eastern regions. When weighted by mortality, landslides pose a large risk for the north eastern part of the country. Deforestation due to uncontained development of hill slope areas is partly the cause of a majority of landslides in Malaysia. Over the past four decades, Malaysia has sustained more than USD 100 million in total estimated damages due to floods and landslides. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 1

2 Floods is considered an annual disaster or a consistent occurrence in some parts of the country like Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak due to the north east monsoon season at the end of the year. The history of floods in Malaysia started since 1920s and the recent floods disaster, which happened on December 2014 and January 2015, were considered the worst flooding in Malaysia over the last decade causing almost Ringgit Malaysia billions losses involving the resident properties and the infrastructures. Basically floods have a negative impact on the economy and general society (Sani, G, et al, 2014). However, other hazards such as uncontrolled logging, lack of land management and urbanization are considered factors which accelerate the formation of floods disaster in the country. Causes of flood can be divided into Natural and Man-made. 1. Natural: Heavier than usual downpours of monsoon rains The perigean spring tide (caused by the proximity of the moon to Earth) La Nina Effect 2. Man-made: Poor drainage and/or clogging due to foreign debris Lack of adequate infrastructure to moderate the flow of water Settlement on floodplains Urbanisation Uncontrolled logging and lack of land management Accumulation of sand along rivers and/or at water mouth due to agricultural or construction Source from the National Register of River Basins by Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (DID), about square miles (10.1%) of the country s total area are flood prone areas which encompassing about 5.67 million people living over the flood risk areas. Average annual losses of RM 1 billion if the areas hit by flood. By assessing the flood prone areas, the government will manage to do hazard risk assessment and flood preparedness as a standard tool in fighting against the natural or man-made causes of flood disaster. In December 2014, Malaysia was hit with a severe and worst flooding in decades after consistent heavy rainfall across the entire country since 15th December Within two weeks, the flooding involved more than five states (Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Sabah) calling shot of flood disaster at the national level, displacing about more than 200,000 residents, causing more than 18 deaths, more than RM 1 billion loses and the highest water level of 7.03 metres (Aizil Azlee, Malay Mail, 2015). 2.0 Level of disaster Malaysia has an integrated disaster management system to deal with the most kind of disaster anticipated. The integrated system has been established following massive flooding in This integrated system is known as the Directive No. 20: The Policy and Mechanism on Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 2

3 National Disaster Management and Relief issued by National Security Council (NSC) of the Prime s Minister Department in 1997 (NSC, 1997). According to the Directive 20 the disaster management handling will be regulated based upon disaster level as below: Level I Disaster An under control of local disaster that has no potential for further outbreak. It is expected to be less complex and may result in small loss of lives and property. This type of disaster will not be detrimental to the daily routines of the people at large. Authorities at the district level will have the capacity to control and manage the situation through the agencies of the Disaster Management and Relief Committee (DMRC) with restricted helps from outside. Level II Disaster This will be a more serious disastrous event happening in a larger area or exceeding two districts and has potential for an outbreak. There may be potential for heavy loss of life and property. This event would normally impede daily activities of the local people arising from demolition of infrastructure. Naturally, it is more complex from Level I Disaster and poses a lot of difficulty in terms of search and rescue. The local DMRC would handle this situation without or with limited outside helps. Level III Disaster Originated from level II Disaster and is characterized by extreme complexity or the disaster taking place through a wide area or exceeding two districts. This will be handled by the authorities at the federal level without or with assistance from overseas. NSC has been involved in many disaster and crisis using the Malaysian Flood Relief Management Mechanism, depicting the roles and responsibilities of all relevant agencies and the organizational structure projecting the initial management which is almost entirely based on a top-down approach and the relief operation is the responsibility of the Natural Disaster Relief Committee. However, National Security Council functions are too broad, as it also focuses on defence and national security. It is responsible as the secretariat of the National Security Council and main committees at the Federal and State level on issues involving national safety, public safety and crisis and disaster management. This has cause lack of focus pertaining to the disaster preparedness and risk assessment in flooding. Figure 1 below shows Malaysian Flood Relief Mechanism System implemented via NSC since Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 3

4 Figure 1: Malaysian Flood Relief Mechanism System Source: from National Security Council, Phases of the flood delivery system Flood control system in any country must be accomplishing enough to prevent or at least minimize the damages caused by the floods. Classified stages of disaster management are categorized into the pre-disaster risk reduction and post-disaster recovery phases as shown in Figure 2. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 4

5 Figure 2: Stages of disaster management Source: Environmental health in emergencies and disasters: a practical guide (World Health Organization) Disaster preparedness is an initiative that is intended to increase readiness and knowledge among the various stakeholders regarding the risks, related agencies, preventive measures and other disaster related information. It involving plans or preparations made to save lives or property, and help the response and rescue service operations. This phase covers implementation/operation, early warning systems and capacity building so the population will react appropriately when an early warning is issued. It seeks to improve the overall preparedness towards a disaster or at least the type of disasters that is likely to happen at a particular locality. The paper will discuss about flood preparedness that has been done in Malaysia and what can the nation do to improve the system based on the flood tragedy strike in December In this paper, the stakeholders, early warning system, the structural measures and nonstructural measures are discussed in the floods disaster handling. Even though, the NSC has come out with a proper guidelines and mechanisms to encounter the disaster, several aspects need to be addressed. 4.0 Assessment of Flood Disaster Preparedness The flood disaster in December 2014 was a riot due to unpreparedness of the organizations to predict the level of disaster even though floods are considered a seasonal disaster especially as the northeast monsoon rains in December until April every year. The December 2014 tragedy causing angers and displeasures among affected people towards the government in solving the disaster. The anger rose not only from the late disaster aids but when the people noticed the Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 5

6 country leader was on holiday at the time of the floods (AAP, 2014), despite annually forecasted that the country will experience flood during monsoon session. 4.1 Stakeholders Various stakeholders involve in the flood disaster relief mechanism in Malaysia. The National Security Council, National Disaster Management and Relief Committee (NDMRC) at every level, Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Department of Meteorology (DM) and Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) are considered the main players in establishing the disaster preparedness. Other actors are Non-Governmental Organization, Public Work Department, Malaysian Armed Forces, Firefighter and others. Each of the agencies has its own roles and responsibility such as DID is responsible in early warning system, structural measures and non-structural measures of the mitigation planning, DM responsibility is provide weather reports, predictions, and adequate warnings prior to the flood disaster including earthquake, tsunami alert, strong wind and rough sea and heavy rain while MRSA develop applications of remote sensing and related technologies for use in operational agencies for more effective management of agriculture production, natural resources, environment, disaster, security and land development of the country. However, there are several hitches that can be seen such as NDMRC and its state and district level bodies is a temporary committee which only convenes before the monsoon season to coordinate flood preparedness. This has result in action been taken in the temporary manners and no proper coordination especially in related to the post flood disaster management involving the recovery and and rehabilitation of the victims and the properties, in concussion, the current measures are reactionary, rather than preventive. Insufficient committee members of NSC and NDMRC in practice would not be focusing on a deliberate effort to improve flood relief mechanics and responses even though the coordination involving various agencies. Current mechanism functions in any disaster management is on a top-down approach, but relies on its on-site district agencies to relay real-time data to the NSD before the NDMRC is activated. This has result in oversight in readiness especially lack of relief materials and equipment. As in the flood disaster in December 2014, the national committee was waiting for the district level to give the feedback on the disaster level of the floods before any action can be taken. The lack of knowledge and awareness among NDMRC at the district level causing late in notification of the level of disaster. After the notification to the state, the crisis centre will be activated before further action taken. This leads to another setback on the aiding time for the flood victims. Hence, government or authorities have to develop the floods delivery system for quicker recovery in order to reduce flood losses and give early warning of the likelihood of flooding. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 6

7 SWOT analysis on the stakeholders Table 1: SWOT Analysis of Stakeholders during flood Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat Insufficient human International resources in collaboration with activation of the Red Crescent and disaster other agencies management relief Learnt lesson from centre. other countries Lack of coordination and communication in between agencies pre disaster, during disaster and post disaster rehabilitation Inadequate standard operation procedure Lack of Community capacity building Funding allocation Government agencies, NGO, private agencies participation in flood disaster management. There is NDMRC committee in each level of district, state and national. Politicisation of relief efforts Hierarchy of command at district level Overlapping of roles and responsibility Staff on-leave 4.2 Early warning system The following are the early warning systems in Malaysia according to its agencies. i). Malaysian Meteorological Department; Tsunami early warning system Weather forecasting Disaster Alert System ii). Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage Telemetry system flood forecasting models Info-banjir iii). Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing National disaster data and information management system Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 7

8 iv). Department of Environment Air Pollutant Index (API) Flood forecasting and warning system constitutes an effective and economical means to reduce losses of lives, trauma of disaster and property damage. An early warning system is important mechanism which can give timely and effective information through identified institutions, which allows individuals exposed to hazard to take action, avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response (S.B. Liong, 2011). The Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (DID) is responsible for providing flood forecasting and warning services to the public. Available records showed that flood warning services were first provided for the flood event of 1925 when floods occurred along the Kinta River in Perak and Klang River in Selangor and Bernam River in Selangor and Perak Boundary (H. A. Hussaini, 2007). The purpose of preparedness is to reduce the residual risk through early warning systems and measures which can be taken to mitigate the effect of a flood disaster. At present, the short messages system (SMS) is provided to give an alert to relevant officers in-charge of government agencies such as Police, Army, the Malaysia Meteorological Department (JPA3), DID, and National Security Division (BKN) at Prime Minister s Department. The SMS delivery system should also be extended to the community because the information about a flood event will reach them more effectively (A. S. Ayobami, 2012). This statement is supported by S.Sahu (2006), because SMS is an effective notification system, able to be used to communicate to a larger percentage of people and its functional resilience to disaster. However, the message must be in the language understood by the target audience, especially in rural areas (S.Sahu, 2006). Nevertheless, the SMS provided is not only suggested to be sent to warn the affected residents who are living in floods prone area but all the citizens. Through this method, the information can be disseminate to those who are at risk but only have a fixed line at home. Maybe the SMS could include what to do and where to go so that evacuees are kept informed at all times during the disaster. Residents also need to play active roles by move out from the disaster area once received the SMS notification. Malaysian citizen is still having problem with perceived threat especially in occurrence of the disaster. A survey has done in showed only 25% of respondents concern of the occurrence of the flood disaster even though 61% of the respondents receiving timely and adequate information on time. Only 49% of respondents prepared for the disaster and majority of them choose television news as the source of information (Dorasamy et al, 2011). This has causing vulnerability towards disaster still exist even though majority of the respondents claim to be knowledgeable and confident about aspects of disaster preparedness. Moreover, the real time information of rainfall and river water levels is published on-line via the Info-banjir webpage; this could be directly accessed by the public and governmental officials. The public Info banjir system enables effective early flood warning dissemination to the public through internet access anywhere and at any time. Undoubtedly, according to Chan, Zakaria, Ghani, and Lien (2004), the authorities should also look at improvement of flood forecasting. Often, sophisticated flood warning and evacuation system (FWESs) are alien to the public who are accustomed to traditional FWESs (N.W.Chan et al., 2004). This will happen because of lack of confidence and mistrust in the costly new technologies. Hence, the flood forecasting and warning system have been upgraded. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 8

9 By 2007, the following infrastructure for flood forecasting and warning systems had been installed: 233 telemetric rainfall stations; 190 telemetric water level stations; 256 manual stick gauges; 84 flood warning boards; 217 flood sirens; real time flood forecasting and warning systems in nine river basins (N.W. Chan, 2012). Further to that, the operational flood forecasting systems form a key part of preparedness strategies for disastrous flood events by providing early warnings several days ahead, giving flood forecasting services, civil protection authorities and the public adequate preparation time, thus reducing the impacts of the flooding (Cloke, H. L., & Pappenberger, F, 2009). The direct measure has been taken after the flood disaster in December 2014 by the government on improving managing floods, including implementing an early warning system and flood mitigation projects in Terengganu and Pahang costing RM 700 million (Malay mail, 2015). General lack of information will lead to unnecessary delays and gaps in communication, slowing down transfer of support and relief items to affected victims in remote areas. The dissemination of information should not only rely on the website notification but need to be disseminated through all various modes such as media social, the television and radio broadcasting, the newspaper and being controlled by only one agency to minimize the misinformation. Other than that, the assessment teams should be sent to all inhabitant areas to survey the needs of all affected victims and relaying to a central portal. Despite relatively quick rescue response as the floods unfold, early warning has failed to evacuate victims beforehand. Despite availability of various flood forecasting instruments and high-tech equipment (example: weather radar and satellites) the evacuation process was sluggish. Many victims caught by rapid rising water levels. Shows lack of communication between FFWS and agencies conducting rescue efforts. Our method can be compared with Philippines predicted Typhoon Ruby trajectory based on satellite images and issued early evacuation notices before Ruby made landfall. Bangladesh also came out with a cyclone preparedness program including training, mock drills and successful warning signals which effective in evacuate about 1 million people to the shelters safely prior to the cyclone disaster. Another aspect is reviewing of the effectively utilisation of forecasting assets must be conducted by NSC. However, the slow response also due to the unwillingness of residents to abandon homes and belongings. Community preparedness plays major role in ensuring the damages are minimized. Majority of the residents aware of the warning signals but the unwillingness to move in assuming the flood is minor resulting in massive evacuation and inabilities to cater relief to all victims involved. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 9

10 SWOT analysis of the early warning system Table 2: SWOT Analysis on the early warning system for flood Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat Funding resources Learnt lesson from Knowledge and other countries training in using all Collaboration in equipment related developing the to the early more effective warning system warning system Lack of human resources Lack of coordination and communication between agencies Dissemination of information Early warning to those at risk Multi agencies approaches Various methods used Community capacity building Ineffective Flood Forecasting and Warning Systems (FFWS) and delayed evacuation response Damage to the system provider Media Structural measures There are many structural measures which considered as an engineering method prepared by DID in mitigation planning of the flood disaster. Examples of structural measures are: i). ii). iii). Flood Control Dams which constructed to retain flood water in order to protect areas downstream of the dams. Construction of storage dams solely for flood control purposes is generally economically not viable and such dams are frequently utilised for other purposes such as water supply. In addition, dams constructed for hydroelectric purposes also have a portion of their capacity allocated for flood detention. Among the dams specially constructed for flood mitigation are Batu Dam, Semberong Dam, Bekok Dam and Macap Dam, while irrigation dams include Muda Dam, Pedu Dam, Timah Tasoh Dam, Bukit Merah Dam and Beris Dam. Hydroelectric dams built by Tenaga Nasional Berhad include Kenyir Dam, Bersia Dam, Kenering Dam, Temenggong Dam and Sultan Abu Bakar Dam. The Klang Gates Dam is an example of a dam built for water supply but also serves as a flood mitigation dam. Canalisation and Related Works such as river canalisation in Malacca Canalisation. It s not only widening and deepening of channels, replacement of undersized structures such as bridges. These works are necessary, as the original channels have become undersized as a result of the increase in flood flows caused by development. Bunding of Rivers. Bunding of rivers prevents overtopping and flooding of the low-lying adjacent areas. This option may give rise to problems of internal drainage as a result of the bunding. Bunding an urban area introduces high flood damage potential, as any Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 10

11 occurrence of flooding as a result of flood water overtopping or breaching the bund would be very damaging. iv). v). vi). Storage Ponds of Flood Attenuation. Ponds such as disused mining pools can be used for flood storage. The objective is to divert the flood water through such ponds and thus regulate the outflow so that the flood peaks are attenuated. This strategy has been used in the case of Batu / Jinjang Pond Project in Kuala Lumpur where excess flood water is diverted from Sg. Gombak to Batu Pond for temporary storage and from Sg. Keroh to Jinjang Pond. Water in the pond will be released slowly back to the river after the flood flow has subsided. Poldering (Ring Bund). Poldering is the provision of a ring bund surrounding the area to be protected. This is normally carried out for an area which has high damage potential but for which the cost on overall basin-wide protection would be prohibitive. It includes the provision of internal drainage for the area to be protected and the evacuation of flood water by pumping during periods of high river flows. Flood Diversion Channel or Tunnel. Certain river stretches especially in major city centres, due to intensive development along both riverbanks, can no longer be widened or deepened to accommodate the increasing flood discharges through the city. Under such circumstances, excess flood water has to be retained upstream in storage ponds or diverted downstream through a flood diversion channel or tunnel. This is being implemented in Kuala Lumpur where the Storm water Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Project has become a viable and innovative solution. The SMART system, when completed, will alleviate flooding in the Kuala Lumpur city centre by diverting large volumes of flood water from entering the city centre. The tunnel is designed to incorporate a storm water channel and a motorway for dual purposes. The motorway section of the tunnel is expected to ease traffic congestion at the southern gateway to KL City near Sungai Besi. This concept is believed to be the first of its kind in the world. SWOT analysis of the structural measures Table 3: SWOT Analysis of the structural measure for floods Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat Lack of human resources Lack of knowledge and training in managing and controlling the dam and other structural measures Storm water catchment to reduce flood risk Its under DID jurisdiction with cooperation with other stakeholders Collaboration with other agencies in developing new and effective structural measures Flood Diversion Channel or Tunnel has been recognized and be implemented in other countries Political wills between the opposition and the government especially in related to states governed by opposition parties Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 11

12 3.2.2 Non-structural measures Non-structural measures are implemented not only by DID but other relevant agencies such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and other agencies. Non-structural measures are employed more for preventing floods from occurring and with the aim of minimising losses due to flooding. These measures are broadly aimed at reducing the flood magnitude through the management of catchment conditions as well as reducing the flood damage. These measures comprise the following: i). ii). iii). iv). v). Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM); Under the concept of IRBM, the whole river basin is planned in an integrated manner and all factors are taken into consideration when a certain development plan is proposed. Factors like zoning for river corridors, riparian areas, natural flood plains, conservation of wetlands and storage ponds will be taken into consideration when preparing flood management plans. Resettlement of Population; One positive measure to reduce damage potential as well as loss of life in flood-prone areas where floods would not be significantly reduced by structural measures is to resettle the population. Since 1971, 1,672 families and 2,715 families have been resettled in the states of Kelantan and Pahang respectively. However, majority of affected residents liable to return to the flood prone areas as the place is considered as their hometown and place where they make a living. Where resettlement is not a viable option, an insertion of new infrastructure and building will be made into the existing affected area with optimum level of mitigation against disaster. Flood proofing; This measure consists of implementation of protective works to prevent the entry of flood water into individual houses and specific places, for example, by bunding a building with a wall so that the floor is not submerged during a flood, thereby reducing flood damage. In flood-prone cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, entrances to basement car parks should incorporate some flood proofing measures. Current measure taken in flood prone areas is by making a boat house which stuffed with survival necessities for at least 72 hours to one week (Malaysian Institute of Architects, 2015). The house boat has been implemented in Kelantan and Terengganu for preparedness towards floods disaster. Preparation of guidelines and design standards; Suitable guidelines and design standards have been prepared, specifying clear requirements, physical as well as technical, for rivers and their reserves, as well as flood mitigation and urban drainage projects. These guidelines and design standards, if followed strictly by the public and private sectors, will help minimise the occurrence of floods. The Department of Drainage and Irrigation has published more than twenty Hydrological Procedures as well as the Urban Drainage Planning and Design Procedure No. 1 for use as reference materials and guidelines by all planners, consultants and other Government agencies throughout the country. Awareness campaign and education; Knowledge of risk and appropriate response are shared through public information and education systems. Training courses, workshops, and extension programs for at-risk groups, disaster responders, and volunteers are all conducted to increase capacity and promote self-reliance. Drills increase awareness about preparedness and thus contribute to its sustainability. Public information (radio, television) and school systems are used to share knowledge about hazards and risks, and Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 12

13 the appropriate response to emergencies. The response mechanisms include evacuation procedures and shelters, search and rescue teams, needs assessment teams, activation of emergency lifeline systems, reception centres, and shelters for displaced people. Preparedness at the individual and family level must be at the optimal level. They must know what to expect during the flood and what the necessities for them to keep. Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is all-hazards preparedness guide that can be implemented by the person and the family. The preparedness guide can be broadcast through the Medias so the accurate and important information regarding the survival kit be disseminated. Apart from direct flood, there are also indirect problems associated with flood management, such as the need for appropriate institutions and legislation. Under the Federal Constitution, matters pertaining to water, rivers, land, and forest are under the jurisdiction of the State Governments. They are also responsible for flood management, including the control of land use along river corridors to reduce floods, development of urban areas, forest timber logging and gazetting of water catchments to preserve water source to overcome drought crisis. Presently, the needs for gazetting of catchment areas that have been initiated by the Federal agencies do not always get the same level of support at the State agencies. This may be partly due to the fact that the water catchment areas are providing State Governments with much of their state revenue from other uses such as timber logging and industrial or township development. This situation will complicate flood management in the country. Due to the distribution of powers under the Constitution, the various aspects of flood management are planned and managed on a sectorial basis with various government institutions at both federal and state levels being involved. For example, domestic and industrial water supply is a state responsibility and thus is managed by the states through their respective Water Supply Departments, while the generation of hydro-electric power is a federal responsibility and is managed by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications. To further complicate matters, irrigation and drainage, including flood control, is a concurrent responsibility (both Federal and State government have their roles) and is managed by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage operating at both state and federal levels. The control of land development, which is closely inter-related to urban flood management, is managed by the Town and Country Planning Department, while urban local drainage regulations are managed by the Department of Local Government. The various water-related government agencies are focused on different and limited aspects of water management, both excess water (flood) and water shortage (drought), and there are gaps and overlaps in the jurisdiction of the various agencies. Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 13

14 SWOT analysis of the non-structural measures Table 3: SWOT Analysis on non-structural measures for flood Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat Redundancies of roles and responsibilities Redundancies of the law and legislation Multi agencies approaches Various methods can be implemented Dissemination of information Collaboration with NGO or private sectors in providing fund Implementation of successful nonstructural measures from disaster risk countries Low in community capacity building Political will between the ruling and opposition party 5.0 Conclusion and recommendation Malaysia has its methods which can be used in a holistic manner for giving information and assistance pre-disaster, during and post-disaster, when flooding occurs in the flood-prone areas. However, Malaysia needs to improve pre-disaster delivery system to prevent the negative impact and flood damage in the future because of changing climate with different pattern. Awareness among the public also must be instilled so that preparedness of flood will be more effective. Author s contribution Authors 1, 2 and 3 are responsible on collecting the information and drafting the manuscript. Author 4 is responsible reviewing the manuscript. References AAP. (2014, December 2014). Tens of thousands evacuated as floods hit Malaysia. SBS, Retrieved from Aizyl Azlee. (2015, January 5). Worst floods in Kelantan, confirms NSC. Malay Mail online, Retrieved from Ayobami, A. S., & Rabi'u, S. (2012). SMS as a Rural Disaster notification system in Malaysia: A feasibility study. In Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Communication and Media (i-come), Penang, Malaysia. Cloke, H. L., & Pappenberger, F. (2009). Ensemble flood forecasting: a review. Journal of Hydrology, 375(3), Noorhashirin H., Nor Faiza T., Mohammad Farhan R., Muhamad Hanafiah Juni 14

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