Renard Siew, an adviser to the Centre for Governance and Political Studies, said floods could be expected in Kelantan and Terengganu in a few weeks’ time, while Penang could also be hit by the end of next month and Johor, towards the end of the year.
He also said that mitigation works should be made a priority, warning that storms are getting stronger with time.
Yesterday, more than 1,000 people from Johor, Perak and Penang were evacuated to temporary shelters due to floods.
Several areas in Kuala Lumpur were also hit by flash floods on Tuesday following a heavy downpour which caused traffic jams and saw several cars trapped by rising waters.
Siew said scientists have already warned that the use of fossil fuel will lead to global warming and, eventually, climate change.
“When this happens, Antarctica, which holds 90% of Earth’s freshwater, will melt. As Antarctica melts, our sea levels will rise and the increase in volume of water means the storms that form over seas will be much stronger,” he said in a statement today.
He added that Malaysia is especially prone to these stronger storms due to its location beside the Southern Pacific Ocean, which recorded the highest rise in sea levels globally.
He warned that the government will incur great costs if floods hit the nation, citing the flood in Penang recently which led to Putrajaya spending more than RM33 million to assist the state government.
“Of course, there will be other effects as well. Malaysia’s crop yield, because of the storms, will likely see a 10% to 15% drop in yield. We will be facing a food security crisis soon.”
Last week, the Selangor government identified over 70 flood-prone areas in nine districts in the state following the prediction by the Malaysian Meteorological Department of heavy rainfall from October to December.
The state government advised residents to make the necessary preparations and comply with directives from the local authorities, adding that the relevant authorities have already been ordered to prepare for floods, landslides and storms.