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A bridge destroyed by flooding in Xuanhan County, Dazhou, South West China Sichuan
Province. July 13. 2009. Photo. sino.com
In Malaysia, urban areas in the southern state of Johore were flooded and two towns,Kota Tinggi
and Segamat were completely cut off during the floods. Emergency evacuations in Johore
caused by the floods affected between 60,000 and 70,000 people. Further onslaught of heavy
rainfall brought a second wave of the flood which almost paralysed Johore state after all its eight
districts were submerged by the floods. The regular natural disasters in Malaysia, albeit annual
affairs accompanying the seasonal monsoon season are increasingly becoming more intense.
Compound this situation with inadequate drainage in many urban areas which inevitably worsen
the effects of torrential rain. Flood mitigation projects which have been included in the Ninth
Malaysia Plan indicate that the government is aware of the seriousness on the floods and their
impact on to the economy and development. The substantial amount budgeted to these efforts
will greatly contribute towards the alleviation of the flood problems.
Buildings destroyed by landslides. Xuanhan County, Dazhou, Sothwest China Sichuan Province,
July 13 2009
During the flash floods in Kuala Lumpur, the Sungai Gombak river which traversed the capital,
overflowed its banks following a three hour downpour. One wonders whether insurance
premium costs for vehicles will soar if demand for inclusion of coverage for loss/damage due to
floods go on the rise. This question inevitably crops up with the large number of cars parked in
the hotel basements and the major underground car parks submerged in floodwaters. The
consequent massive traffic jams resulting from the flash floods incurred invisible losses on lost
man-hours over and above the obvious financial implications of damages and destruction to
property.
In Philippines, the recent Typhoon Marakot displaced several thousands in the main island of
Luzon. The scenes were of houses, vehicles and farms swept away, with many villagers stranded
on rooftops. The Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) declared the
affected Botolan coastal town under a “state of calamity”. In the southern island of Mindanao
more than 375,000 people were affected by massive flooding. (i)
Moving out of the Philippines, Marakot gathered intensity and slammed into Taiwan resulting in
the worst flooding in half a century and killed at least 12 people. Thousands found themselves
marooned helplessly as bridges were destroyed by raging swollen rivers. Just imagine the
enormity of the damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
These patterns of unusually heavy rains were detected through data collected by the tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite since June . In the wake of several days of
extreme rain in early July 2009, floods swept across southern China and northern Vietnam. The
rains caused widespread flooding and landslides that left 75 people dead and 938,000 homeless
in China as of July 5. (ii) In China, Typhoon Marakot forced the evacuation of nearly 1 million
people in two eastern coastal provinces. Continuous rainfall triggered many landslides paralysing
traffic in many rural areas.
(iii)
References:-
(i)IRIN, Manila, 10 August 2009.
(ii) Xinhua News, China. 5 July 2009.
(iii) Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2009