PETALING JAYA: The irrigation and drainage department (DID) has identified 4,619 flood hotspots nationwide, says deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said continuous flood monitoring would be carried out by DID with the help of the National Disaster Management Agency, the meteorological department and the state governments.
This will involve placing 543 flood warning sirens and 737 mobile pumps nationwide.
DID would also monitor dams that are more than 50 years old, Zahid said in a statement today, Bernama reported.
Flood mitigation projects across the country must also be closely monitored to prevent any delays in reducing the impact of floods.
Earlier, Zahid chaired the second central disaster management committee meeting for 2024 in Kota Tinggi.
Zahid said the social welfare department had identified 8,481 temporary evacuation centres capable of accommodating 2.15 million flood victims.
Zahid also said MetMalaysia expected the northeast monsoon to begin in early November and last until March 2025.
Wet weather is expected on the east of the peninsula, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, from November to December this year.
Meanwhile, from January to February 2025, he said wet conditions were expected in Johor, Sarawak and Sabah, with the La Niña phenomenon predicted to start at the end of 2024 and continue until mid-2025.
“The risk of major flooding will increase if heavy monsoon rains coincide with high tides and monsoon surges."
It is expected that there will be five to seven monsoon surges, bringing episodes of heavy and continuous rainfall, particularly in the east coast of the peninsula, southern and western Sarawak, as well as northern and eastern Sabah.
He said rainfall was expected to decrease in the north of the peninsula from January 2025 followed by the eastern parts of the peninsula from February. This will be followed by hot and dry weather until May.
