An Analysis of Malaysian Public Policy in Disaster Risk Reduction: An Endeavour of Mitigating the Impacts of Flood in Malaysia

Abstract

In light of climate change and sustainable development issues, holistic flood risk reduction strategies must be integrated into policy initiatives to reduce flood threats. Numerous countries have been devastated by recent floods, which have claimed many lives and wrecked the economy in the affected areas. In most nations, there are public policies in place to mitigate the impact of flooding on citizens. Policies adopted are mostly based on international frameworks, including the Yokohama Strategy, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. With the help of international frameworks, Malaysia has also developed several disaster guidelines and public policies. Some people died as a result of their failure to escape from the floodwaters, but many more were injured. Since Malaysia is plagued by floods, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of Malaysian public policy related to flood management. This qualitative research examines and evaluates publications from a variety of sources, especially published journal articles. The findings revealed that Malaysia lacks an effective legislative framework to integrate policies and mechanisms for flood management. Directive No. 20 of the National Security Council provides precise standards, but it must also rely on a range of regulations not specifically adopted for flood control. Besides that, the Directive is formulated to cater to general disasters and is not specifically focused on the flood. The Directive also did not highlight the need to engage citizens in flood management. Besides that, some local plans are less concerned with the criteria that help to inculcate preparedness in the face of flood risk. Policymakers in Malaysia should be able to use the findings of this research to craft a public policy that specifically addresses the country's flood concerns. Scholars are encouraged to conduct an additional study to obtain a better understanding of public policy issues in Malaysia, particularly floods.

The Effectiveness of the Master of Flood Preparedness (MOFP) in Elevating Malaysian Youths' Awareness of Flood Preparedness

“…A flood preparedness awareness campaign is important to guarantee that people know what to do before the event of a flood disaster. Hence, it is recommended that all stakeholders, including academics and universities, participate in university social responsibility by developing inventive or/and innovative products to raise public awareness of flood preparedness (Ridzuan et al, 2022b). Hence, the MOFP was designed with due consideration to the specific needs of youth in terms of the provision of disaster information and knowledge.…”

That Is Not My House? Household Renters’ Flood Preparedness Intention in the East Coast Region of Malaysia

“…Promoting flood preparedness among household renters can have several practical implications to enhance their intention and ability to mitigate flood risks. According to Ridzuan et al (2022a), Malaysia does not have a comprehensive legal framework in place to effectively combine policies and mechanisms for managing floods. Directive No.…”

Provision of Post-flood Housing Reconstruction in Kuala Krai, Kelantan vs. Local Housing Practices

“…Constructing houses in the aftermath of a disaster is often coupled with more significant challenges than typical construction; however, PDHR offers an opportunity to rebuild disaster-stricken areas into a better environment (Jayakody et al, 2022). While numerous guidelines and construction approaches were published in the PDHR process, there is no guarantee that they will be implemented in the reconstruction projects (Ridzuan et al, 2022). Due to various reasons, most government and humanitarian agencies would impose standard housing models based on their perceptions of what people require (Barakat, 2003) Scholars have documented the significance of integrating social and cultural elements into post-disaster housing reconstruction.…”