Don: Creating flood-resilient Malaysia needs strategic rethinking

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“The problem with Malaysia is - we never integrate our decision. There should be a joint vertical effort from the government down to the local councils to combat climate change," says Datuk Professor Dr Azizan Abu Samah, a meteorologist from Universiti Malaya.

BY VIRMAN JURI

ADAPTATION STRATEGIES to accommodate climate change and flood mitigation plans should be rethought in a new light.

“A well-integrated approach comprising better coastal development and zoning mechanism, redesigning the draining system, and assets assessment on flood mitigation plans are needed to ensure the long-term impact of the projects,” Datuk Professor  Dr Azizan Abu Samah, a meteorologist of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences  University Malaya (UM) told The Petri Dish in a recent interview.

He said: “Floods are a natural phenomenon, and they can be good. For example, soil along the River Nile is fertile for agricultural activity because the soil is often flooded with water.”