Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah

ROADMAP TOWARD EFFECTIVE FLOOD
HAZARD MAPPING IN MALAYSIA

JICA region focused training course on flood hazard mapping

JFY 2005

HAZALIZAH BINTI HAMZAH
Civil Engineer
Hydrology and Water Resources Division
Department of Irrigation and Drainage
MALAYSIA
KM 7, Jalan Ampang, 68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Tel. 03-42552606, Fax: 03-42563735

Email address: hazalizah@water.gov.my1

Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah

A. THE ROLE OF FLOOD HAZARD MAPS TO MITIGATE FLOOD DAMAGES
MALAYSIA

Flood Status In Malaysia1. Flood is the most significant natural disaster in Malaysia in terms of frequency,area extent, population affected bad damage. It has been estimated that 9% ofland area (29, 800 km2) in the country is prone to flooding, 22 % of thepopulation (4.82 million) is affected by floods and the average annual flood
damage is about RM 1 billion.
2. Heavy rainfall during North East Monsoon affecting the east coast of Peninsular
Malaysia (widespread flood). Intense rainstorms during inter monsoon periodsof April-May and August-October causing flash floods in major towns such as
Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bharu.
3. Climate and Topography in Malaysia-

Annual average rainfall
Peninsular Malaysia : 2500 mm
Sabah : 3000 mm
Sarawak : 3500 mm-Extreme events
600 mm in 24 hours
100 – 200 mm in 2 hours-Topographyi.

Hilly upper reaches

ii. Normal sloping middle reaches (1 in 2,000)
iii. Gentle sloping lower reaches (less than 1 in 5,000)
iv. Mostly subject to tidal influence downstream
v. Shallow river bed in flood plain due to sedimentationvi. High tidal influence can cause flooding in coastal areas
4. Types of Flooding and Causes of Flooding In Malaysia

2Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzahi.

Extensive basin flood(Riverbank overflow)

ii. Inundation basin flood(Backwater effect from tidal influence affecting lower reaches)iii. Inland flood(Poor drainage from inland flood prone area)

iv. Urban flash flood(Inadequate drainage and storage systems to cater for rapidurbanization)
Table 1 – Flood Trends In Malaysia
ItemYear

Flooded Area (km2)
People Affected (million)
Flood Damage

1982

2002

29, 02129, 799

2.7

4.82

RM 326 million

RM 915 million(1992)

Present Countermeasures For Mitigating Flood Damages In Malaysia
Structural (curative) as well as non-structural (preventive) measures have been proposed
to alleviate the flooding problem.
Structural Measures
The main structural measures carried out by DID are:i)Flood Control Dams

Some examples of dams specially constructed for flood mitigation are Batu Dam andSemberong Dam while irrigation dams include Pedu Dam and Beris Dam. Hydroelectric
dams built by Tenaga Nasional Berhad among others are Kenyir Dam and Bersia Dam.
The Klang Gates Dam is an example of a dam built for water supply but also serves as aflood mitigation dam.
ii) River Improvement WorksRiver improvement works, which are carried out, are realignment and canalisation of river
channels, including widening and deepening to improve original undersized channels.

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Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzahiii) Storage Ponds of Flood Attenuation
Disused mining pools can be used as detention or retention ponds to regulate floodwaters
so that the flood peaks are attenuated. The Batu/Jinjang Pond Project in Kuala Lumpur
diverts excess floodwater from Sg. Gombak into Batu Pond for temporary storage andfrom Sg. Keroh to Jinjang Pond. Water in the pond will be released slowly back to the riverafter the flood flow has subsided.
iv) Flood Diversion Channel or Tunnel
Certain river stretches especially in major city centres, due to intensive development along
both riverbanks, can no longer be widened or deepened to accommodate the increasing
flood discharges through the city. Under such circumstances, excess floodwater has to beretained upstream in storage ponds or diverted downstream through a flood diversion
channel or tunnel. The Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Project
implemented in Kuala Lumpur when completed will alleviate flooding in the city centre by
diverting away large volumes of floodwater.

Non-structural Measures
Non-structural measures are employed more for preventing floods from occurring and withthe aim of minimising losses due to flooding. Some of these measures are:i)Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM)

Under the concept of Integrated River Basin Management, the whole river basin is plannedin an integrated manner and all factors are taken into consideration when a certain
development plan is proposed. Factors like zoning for river corridors, riparian areas,
natural flood plain, conservation of wetlands, storage ponds etc will be taken into
consideration when preparing flood management plans.
ii) Preparation of Guidelines and Design Standards
The DID has published more than 20 Hydrological Procedures as well as the Urban
Drainage Planning and Design Procedure No. 1 which specified clear requirements, both
physical as well as technical, for rivers and their reserves, as well as flood mitigation andurban drainage projects to be used as reference materials and guidelines.
In the year 2000, DID introduced the Urban Stormwater Management Manual (MASMA)
which obtained Cabinet approval for implementation commencing 1 January 2001 and is tobe complied with by all local authorities and the public and private sectors. The Manual
provides control-at-source measures and recommendations on flood fighting by utilisingdetention/retention, infiltration and purification processes.

4Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzahiii) Flood Forecasting and Warning System
Telemetric forecasting systems have been installed in the major river basins namelyKelantan, Pahang, Perak, Sadong, Kinabatangan, Klang, Terengganu, Besut, Dungun,and Johor whilst VHF flood forecasting systems have been established in smaller basins.
In river basins prone to flash floods, flood warning sirens have been installed at strategic
locations along certain urban rivers. These sirens will be automatically triggered once theflood level reaches a critical point to alert the local residents of impending floods. The
Department also provides a web-based information system on flood warning and flood
information through http://infobanjir.water.gov.myFlood response will be functional after the flood event occurs especially during themonsoon season. It’s included with the five main activities as below:
i.

‘Pre’ flood, ‘During’ flood and ‘Post’ floodii.

Flood forecasting and warning system

iii.

Flood disaster management, flood fighting, evacuationiv.

Flood operation and relief centres at District, State and Federal levelsv.

Flood damage assessment

Flood Hazard Map In Malaysia
As a non-structural measures, Flood Hazard Map is very useful to be implemented in Malaysia.
With regards of the FHM objectives, to prevent loss of people’s lives and helps smooth
refugee from home to evacuation shelter as well as to notifying the residents of potential flood
damage and enhancing their awareness of the importance of flood disaster preparedness
could be achieved.

5Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah
B. THE ALLOCATION OF ROLES IN MAKING FLOOD HAZARD MAPS IN
MALAYSIA

No.

Organizations

Roles

1.

National Disasters
CommitteeandRelief Planning, coordinating and supervising relief
operations during flood. Support the flood
disaster preparedness activities among thecommittee members.

2.

Ministry of Finance3.

Ministry of Natural Resources and - Support and provide development allocationand Environment
for flood mitigation projects at the federallevel.

Prepare Malaysia’s budgets for five yearlydevelopments.

- Dissemination of Flood Hazard Map

4.

State Government- Support and provide development allocation
for flood mitigation projects at the state level.
- Dissemination of Flood Hazard Map- Provide information on evacuation routes intheir region.

5.

Department
DrainageofIrrigationand - Providing flood forecasting
service to the public.

and warning- Main organizations for planning, prepare anddisseminate Flood Hazard Map.
6.

Department of Survey and Mapping

7.

Meteorological Services of Malaysia,
Providing weather forecast information due toState Department of Information
flood forecasting and warning activities.

8.

9.

10.

Malaysian Center
Sensing (MACRES)

For

Remote Providing the satellite images due to flood
forecasting and warning activities.

Department of Public Defence, State
Fire and Rescue Department, Armyand Police
Department of Welfare

Providing the digital topographic map, DEM ofthe drainage basin.

Rescue works

Providing the evacuation shelter information.

6Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah
C. THE ‘ACTION PLAN’ OF MAKING FLOOD HAZARD MAPS IN MY COUNTRY

Target area : Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

Figure 1 – The Location of Kuala Lumpur

Figure 2 - The Location of Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

Kampung Baru is only a village located on the floodplain of the Klang River, centre the townof Kuala Lumpur. It has total slightly more than thousand peoples and mostly working aroundthe Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The selection of Kg Baru as a pilot project is because it iscrucial area within the Kuala Lumpur perimeter and has a significant impact to the local people.
The location of Kg. Baru shown in Figure 2. Because of rapid development, flash flood always
occurred and most of the resident do not have enough time to response and take a correct
action. With the flood hazard maps, hopefully it will help the local resident to take a right
direction and safer route to the evacuation shelter as well as to prevent losses of life anddamages.

Figure 3 - The Location of Evacuation Shelter inKampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

Figure 4 – Suggested evacuation route to evacuation
shelter in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

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Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah
Target Area 2 : Kelantan State
Target Area : Kelantan State

Why Kelantan State ?

KELANTAN STATE

KelantanRiverKelantan River

Malaysia consist 14 states includes the Kelantan StateKelantan State – Land area : 15, 101 km2

Kelantan State - East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia- widespread flooding area, flooding occurred annually during theNorth East Monsoon- Consists 10 districts

Flood impact to the Kelantan State (1983 – 2004)

Total ofDeathPeople

Total amount ofdamages (in Ringgit
Malaysia)

Total amount ofdamages (in USD)Year

Total of
Evacueess2004

10,47612

14,317,800.00

3,767,842

2003

2,228

2

5,554,400.00

1,461,684

no record

1,420,000.00

373,684

2002

no record

2001

5,800

0

8,462,700.00

2,227,026

2000

506

0

4,940,620.00

1,300,163

1

1,924,440.00

506,4320

1,628,455.00

428,541

1999
1998

no record

136

1997

no record

no record

922,020.00

242,637

1996

no evacuation

0735,795.00

193,630

1995

1,172

4

1,485,095.00

390,814

1994

441

2

2,413,922.30

635,243

1993

13,58701,512,816.50

398,110

1992

743

0

329,256.05

86,6462

1,427,872.45

375,756

4

1,036,100.00

272,658

no record

--

1991
1990
1989

no record

4,581
no record

1988

41,059

0-

-

1987

402

0

3,338,589.00

878,576

1986

7,968

0

6,092,454.25

1,603,277--

1,998,268.00

525,860

1985

no record

no record

1984

7,177

9

1983

33,8150-

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Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah

Usefulness of Flood Hazard Map in Kelantan State, Malaysia¾ to reduce loss of people (incremental of death people )to reduce the property damage due toflood occurrence¾ helps smooth refugee from home to evacuation shelter¾ Enhancing awareness of the local resident due to the importance of flood disaster
preparedness as well as notifying the residents of potential flood damage – show theevacuation route, evacuation shelter, forecasted inundation area and inundation depth bydissemination of the FHMSchools are the best place to disseminate the FHM as well as togive a better understanding to the childrens and teenagers due to impact of flood disaster.
(enhance their awareness of flood disaster)¾ Integration of flood modeling, topographical modeling and flood stimulation of the Kelantan
River Basin will helped DID Malaysia to enhance the exist of flood forecasting and floodwarning system¾ Give an early warning information due to flood to local resident before their area/homeinundated¾ Give a technical support to the Director of State Security Department for issuing theevacuation order / recommendation order.
¾ Suggest the alternatives evacuation route if the exist road inundated.

Flooding in Kota Bahru, Kelantan - 10 to 16 Dec 2004

9Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah
Action Plan Within The Next Five (5) YearsYear2006

Action Plan
- Deliver a presentation of FHM to my division- Formed the committee members of FHM- Suggest to the department to send the right officer to attend the FHM course- Gain and enhance my knowledge in anticipated inundation area mapping, Topographic
Map and GIS (Flood Runoff Analysis)- Check the avaibility and update topographic map at Department of Survey and Mapping- Having some meeting and understanding of FHM between the related organizations- Get an opinion and idea from the local residents’ perspective of FHM- Carry out pilot project using existing FHM in terms of flood modelling, flood stimulation(review and enhance the exist FHM)

2007

- Promote the idea of FHM to the local government.
- To disseminate the completed FHM to the target group (Kampung Baru Resident)- Educating people and enhancing their awareness due to flood disaster preparedness- Start planning and doing some ground works of FHM for rural area. Target area :Kelantan River Basin (which is located at the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia andyearly affected by the North-East Monsoon which bring more rain in October – January)

2008- Carry out survey to study effectiveness – Kampung Baru
- Model construction (consists Topographic Modelling, Flood Modelling and Flood
Stimulation) for Kelantan River Basin2009- Model construction (consists Topographic Modelling, Flood Modelling and Flood
Stimulation) for Kelantan River Basin (cont …)

2010- To disseminate the completed FHM to the target group (Kelantan State Resident)- Educating people and enhancing their awareness due to flood disaster preparedness- Carry out survey to study effectiveness – Kelantan River Basin- To conduct survey via questionnaire to the target groups with the view to improve theusefulness of the FHM

10Concluding Report_Hazalizah Hamzah
Problems In Making Flood Hazard Map In Malaysiai.

Insufficient data e.g. updated topographical map

ii. Data reliability – rainfall, water level and dischargeiii. Inadequate expertise e.g. flood modelling and flood stimulation
iv. Social and economic impact such as sales and price of land and properties will beaffected by showing the forecasted inundation depth in the FHM, clarity andunderstanding public and private sector of FHM needed.

D. ADVICE/SUGGESTIONSIN

MAKINGTHISTRAINING

COURSEMORE

MEANINGFULa. Preparation time for presentation of ‘Town Watching’ should be extend at least for
two days.
b. Insufficient time to understand the exercise on Topographical Maps and GIS for the
new learners such as myself.
c. Insufficient time to carry out more analysis e.g. rainfall runoff analysis.
d. Due to my action plan and allocation of roles in making flood hazard maps inMalaysia, officer from Hydrology and Water Resources Division/State (e.g.
Kelantan State Officer, Sabah State Officer) Department of Irrigation and Drainage
Malaysia should have an opportunity to attend the FHM course for continuity ofprogressing and developing Flood Hazard Map in Malaysia.

Special Thanks!
I would like to thank to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and PWRI for allowing me to participate in
the Flood Hazard Mapping course. All the guidances, support, consideration and willingness to assist the othercountries to produce the Flood Hazard Map are highly appreciated. My sincere gratitude and appreciation also goesto JICA Tsukuba for a wonderful and great hospitality. I would like to thank to Ms. Shibata, Mr. Tanaka and Mr.
Kuribayashi for taking good care of us.
Sayonara and mata-ayi masho!

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