LETTER | Call for stringent measures to manage floods

LETTER | Climate change and its unpredictable effects are certainly being taken for granted or with indifference. It calls for drastic measures.

Both the public and local authorities must make a collaborative shift if we are to manage the frequent floods all over the country more effectively.

To dismiss the deluge as mere inter-monsoon changes is foolish and will only cause more damage to properties, affect routines and cost the government more public money.

Drainage is the key to divert excess water. While citizens and migrant workers have not shown any marked improvements in environmental care and concern sensitivities, our local authorities clearing up trash-clogged drains is also a rare sight these days.

Our forestry departments all over the country have to get tough with excessive timber logging as these cause our rivers to burst their banks, making downstream flooding easy and frequent each time there is a downpour, in all likelihood.

Before we talk about multi-billion-ringgit mitigation projects, we should address our people's lackadaisical attitude towards caring for our environment especially littering.

Before the government commits humongous sums of budget to assure the nation with plans for state-of-the-art mitigation projects, it should get the various authorities at federal and state levels to first buck up and treat the frequent flooding as a crisis that deserves accountable, routine and intense maintenance measures.

We cannot treat each flooding all across the country as a mere "nature's wrath".

Neither can we keep taking recourse behind our respective Gods.

Hopefully, the government will address the frequent flooding in cities, townships and rural farms as well as highways and country roads as a top national priority.

Policy leaders must rein in all relevant authorities, including citizens and migrant workers, to subscribe to the adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough must get going”.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.