IN the next 10 years, most of Klang and the entire Selangor coastline is projected to be below annual flood levels, according to a coastal risk screening tool by Climate Central.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said those in charge of development are not listening to his appeals to make preparations now.

He told The Malaysian Insight he has raised the issue with the Selangor Works Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department, and with the local authorities.

Chiefly, he said he was concerned about rainfall trends observed in the last few years, which were trending upwards.

“The maximum rainfall Klang used to receive in one day was 100mm. Now, we get 100mm in three hours.

“We have already noticed this for the past two to three years. In late October, Klang received 173mm of rainfall (in one day) and that caused flooding in some parts,” the DAP lawmaker, who has been Klang MP since 2008, said.

The 2030 projection by Climate Central, a non-profit organisation of climate change scientists and journalists providing data for the purpose of policymaking, uses projections of sea level rise and coastal flood models based on published data.

It acknowledges some margin of error as large datasets are used, while stating that the flood risk map should be used as a “screening tool” to identify places that need further study.

According to the projection, in 2030, parts of Klang that will be submerged by existing annual flood levels include those that are among the worst-hit by flooding over the past weekend.

These include Telok Gong, Klang Utama, Pandamaran, Port Klang and Taman Sentosa.

The projection also includes another badly flooded area – Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam – as well as areas further inland such as areas surrounding the north of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, including Mitsui Outlet Park in Sepang.

Coastal areas as far south as Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan all the way up north along Selangor’s beaches at Bagan Lalang, Tanjung Sepat, Morib, islands like Pulau Carey and Pulau Ketam, to Kuala Selangor, Tanjung Karang, Sekinchan and Sungai Besar in northern Selangor, will also fall under current annual flood levels.

In Perak, the 2030 projection also shows flooding in as far inland as Teluk Intan, which lies along the Perak River. Felda plantations in the area will not be spared either, according to the model.

Santiago said he had raised the problem of higher rainfall to the Works Department and in Parliament several times.

He urged the authorities to take the severity of weather patterns caused by climate change more seriously, which scientists say is accelerating and causing more intense weather as global consumption of fossil fuels and output of carbon dioxide increases.

“To prepare means rethinking our drainage and irrigation systems. Studies can show us what needs to be done to prepare for the worst-case scenarios.

“We also need to look at planned development projects. The Selangor government must reconsider plans that involve mangrove forests in Klang, such as Telok Gong, knowing that mangroves are important to protect the coast. These kinds of things (development) must stop,” Santiago said.

According to Santiago, Klang is also flood prone as development has been allowed too close to the banks of Sungai Klang, which flows through the constituency.

“Nobody is listening. There is too much personal interest that doesn’t allow for long-term thinking,” he said of the authorities’ response.

Non-stop rain from Friday to Sunday in almost all parts of Malaysia displaced more than 41,000 people, according to Bernama, with Pahang having the most number of people evacuated.

However, while December is typically a month of heavy rainfall for east coast states due to the northeast monsoon, Malaysia was caught by the tail of Typhoon Rai over the weekend, which had wreaked havoc in the Philippines last week, killing more than 200 people.

Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Zaini Ujang said the volume of rain in the Klang Valley recorded over the 24-hour period from late Friday equalled the average rainfall for a month.

“The annual rainfall in Kuala Lumpur is 2,400mm and this means yesterday’s rainfall exceeded the average rainfall for a month. It is something beyond expectation and only occurs once every 100 years,” he said.

While some say flooding in the central part of the peninsula (Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Perak) was unexpected due to the heavier than usual rainfall, it has been highlighted that the Selangor government had issued notice of possible floods due to heavier rain a month ago, and had instructed agencies to prepare for emergencies.

Flooding has also occurred in Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Santiago said the point about preparing for the effect of climate change was to be able to handle the worst-case scenarios.

“What we experienced over the weekend is just the tip of the iceberg.” – December 21, 2021.