“Agricultural areas in Kelantan are among the most severely affected,” he said at a press conference after chairing a briefing on the latest flood situation here.

The central disaster management committee chairman said 51 health facilities were also affected by floods, comprising 23 facilities in Kelantan, 17 in Pahang and 11 in Terengganu.

Since the northeast monsoon started in early November, a total of 62,467 victims from 19,204 households in several states were affected.

Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) is also on high alert to face the floods that are expected to occur in Sabah and Sarawak from February to March.

Meanwhile, Zahid wanted the procurement of hydraulic pumps to be expedited to tackle the issue of stagnant floodwaters in several areas, especially in the east coast.

“The request was made in March last year, and I received a report that the pumps are still not delivered due to procurement procedures.

“Nadma has provided an allocation to the irrigation and drainage department. During any emergency, we must look for the best way to speed up the delivery.”