21,000 evacuate following floods in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: The number of evacuees rose to over 21,000 in Malaysia on Wednesday, with 10 states affected across the country due to the current northeast monsoon season, according to authorities.

Kelantan remains the hardest hit, with 9,642 flood evacuees housed in 52 flood relief centres as of 9 a.m. local time.

Other badly affected areas include Perak state with 4,331 evacuees, Selangor state with 2,909, and another 2,837 in Kedah state, with the remainder spread across the country.

Selangor state chief minister Amirudin Shari said flood mitigation measures in parts of the state were unable to cope with the surge in water and extraordinary weather conditions, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The state government is identifying follow-up measures that need to be taken to ensure the safety of residents, including improving flood mitigation infrastructure and immediate actions to ensure the safety and well-being of those affected," he said.

Displaced

Meanwhile, Malaysian Meteorological Department deputy director-general Ambun Dindang said the floods throughout the northeast monsoon period depend not only on rainfall but are also affected by land-related factors such as land-use changes, population density, and the effectiveness of local drainage systems.

Earlier in the week, authorities had announced that flooding displaced over 10,000 people in Malaysia, with the northern state of Kelantan hit hardest.

Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the government has deployed more than 100,000 personnel and assets from multiple agencies to states affected by severe flooding during the monsoon.

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said national-level examinations would proceed, as the authorities have contingency measures in place to deal with the situation, including a complete set of standard operating procedures and mechanisms to ensure candidates can sit for the examination safely.

Earlier, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also told a press briefing that he is satisfied with the National Disaster Management Agency's level of preparedness in responding to the flood situation and has instructed all agencies to mobilise maximum efforts to assist affected communities.