2010 north Malaysian floods

The 2010 north Malaysian floods were a series of floods concentrated in the Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis in November 2010. The floods saw around 50,000 people evacuated and left at least four people dead, while shutting down major transport routes into the states.

Background

The floods were caused by heavy rainfall in early November 2010 following a tropical depression.^[1][2] The rainfall also caused flooding in neighbouring Thailand.^[3]

Damage

The floods affected transportation in and around Kedah and Perlis, shutting down rail and closing roads including the North-South Expressway.^[4] Alor Setar's Sultan Abdul Halim Airport was also closed after its runway was flooded, leaving helicopters as the only mode of aerial transport into Kedah and Perlis.^[5] The floods also contaminated water supply in Kedah and Perlis, forcing the states to receive supplies from the neighbouring state of Perak.^[6]

Rice production, a key industry in Kedah and Perlis, was badly affected by the floods. According to the federal government, over 45,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged in Kedah alone. The government pledged 26 million ringgit in aid to farmers in both states.^[7]

The floods killed at least four people in Kedah, including a foreign national. Around 50,000 people were evacuated, the floods even affecting the house of Kedah's Chief Minister Azizan Abdul Razak.^[8][9] In Perlis, the floods submerged over two-thirds of the state's land in water.^[10]

The north-eastern state of Kelantan was also affected by the floods, causing the closure of some schools.^[11]

Reactions

The floods triggered immediate political fallout. The Federal Minister for Housing and Local Government and Alor Setar MP Chor Chee Heung criticised the Kedah State government (led by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, an opponent of Chor's Barisan Nasional coalition) for what he considered a slow response to the floods and the government's inexperience. Chor's own home in Alor Setar was flooded.^[12][13] Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin claimed the State government had a responsibility to assist victims of the flood.^[14] Kedah's Chief Minister Azizan argued that his government's response had been "quick" and that 300,000 ringgit in aid had been committed to the affected areas.^[10] Kedah's Sultan Abdul Halim called publicly for politics to be set aside for the purposes of dealing with the floods.^[15]

See also

• 2010 China floods
• 2010 Thai floods
• Cyclone Jal

References