KUALA LUMPUR (CNA) – The flooding that affected several Malaysian states in late December and early January resulted in overall losses of MYR6.1 billion, said the Department of Statistics yesterday.
In a special report on the impact of the floods in Malaysia in 2021, chief statistician Dr Mohd Uzidin Mahidin said that the losses are equivalent to 0.4 per cent of the country’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP).
“The flood that hit this nation in the late of 2021 and early 2022 had caused damage to living quarters, vehicles, business premises, manufacturing and agriculture sector as well as public assets and infrastructure,” said Dr Mohd Uzidin.
The report also said that Selangor was the most affected state by the floods, recording losses of MYR3.1 billion, followed by Pahang (MYR593.2 million) and Melaka (MYR85.2 million).
Losses recorded for Negeri Sembilan totalled MYR77.1 million and MYR50.1 million for Johor.
The department said that the floods hit 11 states, affecting 60 districts in the country.
The states were Johor, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, Terengganu, Sabah, Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur.
In a media conference last month, Malaysia’s Environment and Water Ministry Secretary-General Dr Zaini Ujang said that the torrential downpour which began on December 18 and lasted more than 24 hours, was equivalent to the average rainfall for a month and is a “once in a hundred years” weather event.
“The annual rainfall in Kuala Lumpur is 2,400 millimetres and this means yesterday’s rainfall has exceeded the average rainfall for a month. It is something beyond our expectations and only occurs once every hundred years,” said Dr Zaini.
