Huge Flood In Kelantan

The huge flood that struck Kelantan in December 2014 was among the worst in the history of the country.

Often this flood is a scale of destruction that was not illustrated previously as a result of the devastating flood. If previously the Kelantan flood-prone areas were more concentrated in Kelantan's estuaries such as Kota Bharu, Tumpat, Pasir Mas, the combination of rain, tide and possibly water from the dam in southern Thailand, this time the flood was very thorough from the far upstream of the sea like the Cave Mushrooms up to the estuary.

Even the area is worse. Destruction in the Gua Musang and Kuala Krai areas is terrible as tsunami strikes. Destroyed homes have shown that there is an enormous force coming from floodwaters. It seems like it has not happened in our home country that has been moved or broken by the flood.

The condition of the previous flood was the stagnant water that flooded the area for some time and the damage was the result of subsidence by flood water. For example, major floods in Johor occurred in two waves in 2006-2007. Some have named the flood as a 'pensive' flood because of its water that refuses to move and recede for some time.

The flood is swift 

In Kelantan recently, not only was the flood situation very tense, but the number was so large that there was a building sinking between two to three levels. In addition, this flood also brings mud which greatly demonstrates the occurrence of very high soil erosion.

Generally the major causes of floods are as follows:

a) The total amount of rainfall

Malaysia's position in tropical areas often receives high rainfall. The average annual rainfall for the Peninsular is 2,500 mm and for Sabah and Sarawak 3,500 mm. However there is a situation where rain falls too heavily at some point that can cause floods.

b) High tide

High river water can not flow directly to the sea when it collides with high tide. This will cause floods especially in areas near the sea such as Kota Bharu and Kuantan.

c) River basin

The size of a large river basin will have a large run of water when heavy rain. If the river capacity is insufficient, floods will occur.

d) Rapid development is uncontrollable

Widespread land clearing and uncontrolled tree felling causes water absorption to land to decline and runoff directly to the river quickly. According to the study, if development increases between 0-40 percent, it will result in a flow rate of 190 percent and speeding up twice. In addition, the rate of erosion will increase resulting in increased silt in the river. The shallower river will have a lower capacity, unable to accommodate the increased water and cause the water to flood the cliffs.

e) Irrigation infrastructure is insufficient

Existing infrastructure is often small to accommodate developed areas. When there is an increase in development, the infrastructure is inadequate and flood events occur frequently.

widely show that environment disasters that happen in our country is because of human itself. Widespread land clearing and uncontrolled tree felling causes water absorption to land to decline and runoff directly to the river quickly. Innocent villagers had to face the disasters while the benefits is get by others. Together, lets we stop this things from happen again.