Malaysia’s RM145 million flood warning system labelled a failure – accuracy rate of just 5.6%

The National Flood Forecasting and Warning Programme Phase 1 (2015-2022) has produced “dismal performance”, with forecast accuracy of just 5.6%, The Star reported.

In addition to its low accuracy, the programme was also found to be not capable of issuing warnings and announcements two days before the occurrence of floods, according to the auditor-general’s report.

An audit was carried out n Phase One of the flood forecasting and warning programme, involving three river basins in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang,The Star reported. “Audit checks found only 32 of 83 flood warnings were issued two days earlier while 51 warnings were issued less than two days before floods occurred,” the audit report wrote.

The report also found that the Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) did not carry out preventive maintenance on any of the 204 flood warning stations after the warranty period had expired. “If malfunctioning equipment is not repaired, there is a risk of financial loss. It is recommended that maintenance be done according to plan to ensure that stations and equipment are functioning properly,” it continued.

Also discovered was that data from 118 pieces of equipment was not received at the gateway for three consecutive months, risking the accuracy of flood forecasting, the report wrote. While the programme assists the department in making flood forecasts and warnings, achievement in terms of delivery, however, was less satisfactory with regard to issuing flood warnings, the audit had found.

The department responded by saying that late flood warnings were due to several factors, which include dynamic changes in the weather and “significant weather occurrences that only allow for floods to be detected in less than two days. The National Flood Forecasting and Warning Programme is being implemented in two phases, with an initial allocation of RM530 million, The Star wrote.

In February, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) revealed that the country suffered RM622.4 million in losses due to floods in 2022, of which vehicle losses amounted to RM18.8 million.

Thus, losses to floods can and does turn out to be significant, and it drives home the importance of having Special Perils coverage on one’s vehicle insurance policy. Based on an Impact of Pandemic on Protection survey that was conducted by Zurich Malaysia among 990 vehicle owners in September 2021, 59% of respondents were not covered for flood damage.

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