It’s flood season again, so what?

By admin-s On Dec 26, 2014

Zan Azlee, TMI

It’s that time of the year when all the rivers and lakes start overflowing dangerously into where Malaysians live, work and go to school. This has been happening ever since I’ve been alive.

I don’t remember a time when the rainy season arrived and no floods happened. Or at least extreme floods happened that would cause the loss of home, livelihood and lives.

Of course, I understand that we can never stop mother nature and if heavy rains are to happen, then it will happen. And when there is heavy rain, there will be heavy flow of water.

But what I find perplexing is the fact that after every single flood, we have come nowhere close to learning about how to prevent or overcome the floods.

Is it really that difficult a problem to solve for all of our brilliant minds in the country? Haven’t we gathered enough data and information that will allow us to do something about it?

Year in and year out, all we ever hear or read about is how efficient aid and assistance is pouring in to the victims in the flood areas. That, or complaints about how inefficient it is.

Sometimes, even the victims question the efficiency of relief efforts and, most often than not, about financial aid and compensation that they feel they deserve.

Of course, we want to help, and highlighting that aid is needed and distributed is good. But has anyone even considered developing technology that can divert heavy flow of water?