BANJIR

Flood Management - Programme and Activities

Definition of Flood

Flood can be defined as a body of water, rising, swelling and overflowing land not usually thus covered. Also, overflowing of the bank of a stream, lake or drainage system of water onto adjacent land as a result of storm, ice melt, tidal action and channel obstruction.

Types and Nature of Flood

There are no formal categorizations of floods in Malaysia but is often broadly categorised as monsoonal, flash or tidal floods. In addition, floods are also described based on its location, characteristics, the cause, the timing as to when it occurs and its duration.

Causes of flood

• Natural Causes of flood: Short, high intensity leads to flash flood, heavy widespread rain leads to land inundation
• Human Induced floods: Disposal of solid wastes into rivers, sediments from land clearance and construction areas, increase in impervious areas and Obstruction and constriction in the rivers

Flood Prone Area in Malaysia

Impacts of flood

• Positive: Sustaining, enriching and rejuvenating certain sector of biodiversity in the floodplains, replenishes the land with nutrient rich soils and therefore good for agriculture and natural vegetation, clear debris as well as remove sediments from the flooded area, recharges groundwater storage
• Negative: threaten lives, disrupt social and economic activities and destroy properties, causes distress and recovery can be costly both to individuals and the Government, and deterred new investments in the flood prone area

Estimates of flood damages by State