Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal
Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges
Khamarrul Azahari Razak
TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting
How COVID‐19 affected Trans‐disciplinary
Approach (TDA) and decision making onbuilding disaster resilience?
06 September 2021 13:00‐15:00 (UTC+9)

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur
1 Director, Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Center (DPPC),

Malaysia‐Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
2 Science and Technology Expert Panel for Disaster Risk Reduction (STEP for DRR)
National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Prime Minister’s Department Malaysia
3 Member, Working Group on Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction,
Global Young Academy, Germany @ https://globalyoungacademy.net
4 Technical Committee, Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC),
TC21: Transdisciplinary Approach for Building Societal Resilience to Disasters, Japankhamarrul.kl@utm.my I +6019 3649495

TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

REJUVENATINGOUR CITIES AND SOCIETIESThis project aims to build the regional and local capacity
reinforcing risk-informed decision making for action
INbyA
COVID‐19
TRANSFORMED
and realigningdomestic DRR
and resilience strategiesWORLD
for societal transformation in the cities. It revitalizes
health-emergency disaster-risk-management (HealthEDRM) to prevent future pandemic risk in an extreme
climate. Open science, citizen science, and ICT-based
innovative solution are the highlight. It strengthens
multi-sectoral
coordination,communication
andinformation-sharing
rangingfrompreparedness,response and inclusive-recovery plan to emerging
technologies and humanitarian coordination. A
transdisciplinary approach coupled with sociotechnicalbased system enabled by collaborative foresight anddisaster informatics upscale our impact to a larger
digital society of APEC member economies.

CONTENT I Disaster Risk (Before‐during COVID‐19 pandemic) | Transdisciplinary Approach I
khamarrul.kl@utm.myRapid
Assessment & Observation (Climate‐induced disaster & COVID‐19) I Conclusions

TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Disaster risk, climate change, and risk‐sensitive development in Malaysia (BEFORE COVID‐19)

424 %

32 %

67 %

85 %

424% economic losses (Data provided byNational Disaster Management Agency(NADMA) Prime Minister’s Department
based on data compiled in the period of
2009‐2018 for the Sendai Framework
Monitor Report (as per 29 October 2019)32% rainfall increment (Projectedchange in maximum monthly value inNorth‐EastRegion(Terengganu,Kelantan, Pahang) based on averageannual rainfall and mean temperature(1984‐93 vs 2025‐34 & 2041‐50);

67% population in Malaysia exposed tofloods based on distribution ofDisasters in ASEAN (July 2012‐January2019) as stated in ASEAN Risk Monitorand Disaster Management Review(ARMOR) AHA Centre

Urbanization rate is expected toincrease up to 85% by 2040, asprovided by Federal Department ofTown
andCountry
Planning.
MainstreamingDRR
inthedevelopment planning is challenging.

khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Northeast monsoon(Nov 2020 – March 2021)

DPPC Rapid Assessment 2020/2021(Field reconnaissance & site survey)

First wave of outbreak: 25 January 2020, 22 cases)
Second wave of outbreak (27 Feb, 9545 cases by 29 April 2020)
Third wave of outbreak (October 2020, 14368 cases)
Dec 2020 increased to 69,095 cases (381%)

Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown has caused about RM2.4 billion losses per day (RM63 billion losses in 1st MCO)

– as per 6 August 2021
Total positive cases: 1,224,595 (6.44%) I 20,889 daily new cases I 160 new death Total death 10,179 (0.83%)
khamarrul.kl@utm.myhttps://ourworldindata.org
https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID‐19Source: COVID‐19 Data Repository by the Center for Systems
Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University

TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Rejuvenating disaster risk reduction and resilience through transdisciplinary approaches
Key elements for TDA implementation

https://www.preventionweb.net/
publications/view/66188

Matsuura, S. and Razak, K. (2019), "Exploring transdisciplinary approaches to facilitate
disaster risk reduction", Disaster Prevention and Management: An International
Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM‐09‐2019‐0289

Cycle of knowledge‐flow. New knowledge (enhancedhazard map) is generated by combining the externalizedtacit knowledge (disaster experience) and contemporary
landslide engineering (Kuraoka et al 2020)
https://www.fujipress.jp/jdr/dr/dsstr001500070868/

Transdisciplinary Approach (TDA): An approach to achieve a common societal goal, by all players and stakeholders at all levels of all related disciplines (natural, social and humanity sciences) and sectors (public, private,academia, and civil) working together, going beyond the limit of disciplinary knowledge and sectoral capacities by creating innovation means, and making holistic and transformative solutions possible

khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Rapid Assessment & Observation I Climate‐induced Disaster & COVID‐19 Pandemic
22‐27 December 2020 I 08‐12 January 2021 (monsoon season, Nov 2020‐March 2021)
Field reconnaissance I Site survey I Technical visits to riverine floods prone areas
Engagement with State & District Disaster Command Center I Meeting & Discussions
Disaster Preparedness & Early Warning & Evacuation & Societal Resilience‐ Floods, Landslides & COVID‐19 pandemic ‐khamarrul.kl@utm.myPahang – Perak –Kelantan – Terengganu& Johor ‐ Pahang (1500 km road travel)TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Guideline for Disaster Management COVID‐19
Effective date: 22 October 2020

320
floods

320 floods recorded from November 2020 to10 January 2021 (during northeast monsoon)

125K0COVID
casekhamarrul.kl@utm.myevacuees

125,817 evacuees registered inevacuation centers from 85
districts (13 states) nationwide

Zero (0) COVID‐19 positive case reported in 1,147
evacuation centers by Malaysia Government

TC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Community‐based Disaster
Risk Reduction (CBDRR) 2021
Organizing CBDRR amidst COVID‐19Engaging Island‐community
Empowering Local Champions
Conducting Town Watching DRR program
Enhancing Local Risk Communication
Reviewing Disaster Evacuation Plan
Designing Local DRR Resilience Strategy

khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Progress and challenges
Effectively managing and advancing compounddisaster risk & societal resilience
1. Risk Assessment& Management
2. Risk Governance& Communication
3. Risk Development& Investment
khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

A. Risk Assessment & Management
1. Advancing science and technology formapping, modelling & assessing
compound risk (water‐related disaster& COVID‐19 pandemic): Integration &Geo‐Visualization & Big Data Analytics
2. Supporting impact‐based early warning
system: Early action & Rapid evacuation& localization & Impact analysis
3. Empowering local and indigenous
knowledge for rapid assessment
Unstructured process, ad‐hoc basis,
poorly treated in data integration
khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

B. Risk Governance & Communication
1. Empowering the Secretariats of disaster management
committee & local government for managing compounddisaster risk : Resources/ manpower & public‐private/donors‐
academia‐NGOs (shared responsibility)
2. Managing security & safety and balancing the life andlivelihoods: Strong leadership, Line of command & social trust
3. Cultivating evidence‐based decision making for action(prediction/early warning, evacuation, and mitigation):
Digital medium, platforms and tools for public warning anddissemination & Community‐led action & localization

khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

C. Risk Development & Investment
1. Mainstreaming DRR into local development
planning & DRR investment: Cost‐benefit &Enforcement & Political will & Co‐Budget
2. Enhancing the protection of risk‐sensitiveenvironmental areas and criticalinfrastructures: Data updating & damage /loss assessment & Resilient infrastructure
3. Reframing future impact scenarios forsustainable development strategy:
Digital transformation & technology
infrastructure & Risk‐informed development
khamarrul.kl@utm.myTC21 Special Session on JSCE Annual Meeting I COVID‐19 & Trans‐disciplinary Approach (TDA) & Disaster Resilience
Advancing Compound Disaster Risk and Societal Resilience in Malaysia: Progress and Challenges I 06 September 2021

Conclusions & Recommendations
1. 3X3 Progress and Challenges for managing andadvancing compound disaster risk (Complexscenario, situational awareness technology, andpandemic risk reduction for resilience);
2. Crisis comes opportunity ‐> we must promote
Transdisciplinary Approach (TDA) for building resilience(COVID‐19 Rapid recovery & build‐back‐better);
3. Transdisciplinary Approach (TDA) must be locally adapted& practically implemented (Multi‐tier decision‐making
process for action & Evidences for TDA localizations are
critically needed !!)khamarrul.kl@utm.myKhamarrul Azahari Razak, PhDDisaster Preparedness and Prevention Center (DPPC)
MJIIT, UTM Kuala Lumpur
Email: khamarrul.kl@utm.my; Tel: +6019 3649495