When The Water Keeps Rising: How far can Malaysia’s flood resilience stretch?
By Natalie Mun
There was no deafening crack of thunder—just rain that refused to stop. A persistent drizzle slowly hardened into a violent downpour, and in the pitch-black night, the roar of water launched a sudden ambush, rushing into paddy fields and villages.
By morning, the roads had vanished beneath swirling floodwaters, and the farmers’ houses scattered across the fields had become tiny, sinking islands. What was once a quiet paddy field turned into a rising ocean, with nowhere left to run.
“The sadness is beyond words,” said Dee, a farmer who had just sown seeds in his field. His heart sank as he watched the water rise, slowly swallowing his entire paddy under the flood.
Yet there was no time to dwell on the sadness. Dee had to quickly move his family to his mother’s house in Guar Nangka, an area unaffected by the flood.
He then turned back alone to his village, choosing to stay behind to take care of the remaining belongings, which were all submerged in water.
Dee is not the only one. There are more of them, from men in their thirties to retirees, who were also sheltering under a canvas canopy beneath the flyover, enduring fierce winds and relentless rain.
They have scraped together a makeshift kitchen, with a large blue plastic drum by the side serving as temporary storage for their remaining food, and turned a small tent into a cramped, improvised shower area.
“Most of us don’t go to the relief centres because we keep animals at home — dogs, cats, chickens. It’s easier to look after them this way,” Dee said, as they took turns keeping watch over the cars parked nearby.
“Eventually, we can’t afford to lose more,” he added.
A 5-tonne lorry parked by the roadside has become a temporary home for a family of fourteen after the flood swept away the house they once lived in. Inside, a sofa, thin mattresses, a few electrical appliances and a small bundle of clothes are crammed into the back, leaving the seven children barely any room to move, and almost no space for the baby to crawl or toddle about.
And that is merely the situation in Perlis, not even the worst-hit of the northern states of Malaysia, battling the floods.
‘It was like a mini tsunami that hit Perlis’
Perlis, a state bordering Thailand that rarely experiences severe flooding, was suddenly hit by unusually severe conditions this November.
“It was like a mini-tsunami,” said a Perlis-based researcher, describing how a surge of water tore through Wang Mu and left trails of destruction.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) first issued a yellow weather alert on November 21, then escalated it to a red alert on November 24 as heavy rainfall persisted and intensified. Even the state’s only government hospital was inundated, disrupting essential services.
The last major flood of this scale dates back to 2010, yet this time the impact was significant despite new flood-mitigation measures. A flood tunnel has since been constructed, and water was reportedly released from the dam in advance as a precautionary step. However, the volume and persistence of the rainfall still resulted in severe flooding across parts of Perlis.
More boots on the ground, more money for mitigation
In fact, experts said Malaysia is doing reasonably well on flood mitigation and response. During the November floods, the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) reported that at the peak on November 27, over 5,200 search-and-rescue personnel from the fire and rescue department, the police, and the armed forces were deployed.
A total of 524 evacuation centres were opened to accommodate around 68,000 victims, with 11 states affected — eight at warning level red, indicating more than 5,000 evacuees each.
By December 2, more than 30 NGOs and almost 2,900 volunteers were reported to be on the ground.
NADMA has also been working with NGOs and university groups to run workshops in flood-prone areas, teaching children and adults how and where to evacuate as soon as flood warnings are issued.
Looking ahead, the nation’s 2026 Budget allocates RM2.2 billion for 43 flood mitigation projects, signalling a sustained push to strengthen the country’s resilience.
Meteorologist Professor Azizan Abu Samah pointed to the death toll as an indicator of preparedness, highlighting that Malaysia reported three fatalities in the recent floods, versus at least 276 in Thailand and more than 961 in Aceh.
Why Perlis was still hit so hard?
Malaysia may be relatively prepared for flood events, but Perlis was nonetheless hit hard on this occasion. Is Cyclone Senyar’s formation over the Strait of Malacca alone sufficient to account for this?
Azizan told journalist that the exceptional flooding is suspected to stem from inflows at Wang Kelian, pointing to cross-border runoff from Satun that increased water levels in the Timah Tasoh dam, combined with sustained heavy rain linked to a low-pressure weather system over Perlis.
Observations by Wang Kelian-focused conservation researcher Syamil Abd Rahman support this hypothesis.
Expert says not all floodwater behaves the same. Water that runs down forested slopes tends to look slightly cleaner because tree roots and vegetation help trap larger particles such as stones and debris. In alluvial low-lying areas like Titi Tinggi, Arau and Kangar, the floods were mostly caused by rivers overflowing their banks, so the water there appeared relatively clearer.
But in Gua Kelam, the floodwater seen in videos filmed by Syamil was much murkier and brown.
This suggests it likely came from underground channels from Satun, carrying a lot of fine mud and sediment. Water released from the Timah Tasoh area is believed to be connected to this same source, which explains why it appeared murkier, as it carried sediments picked up from underground and along its path.
Syamil highlighted that the hypothesis requires further confirmation from hydrogeologists and is not about pointing fingers at neighbouring states, but about signalling the importance of joint efforts between the two countries to improve flood management.
MET Malaysia forecasts the northeast monsoon to continue until March next year, and the country is expected to face five to seven waves of heavy rain due to La Niña, said its director, Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, in the November 10 statement.
From drowned paddies to GDP at risk
Local media reported that the Perlis government estimates flood-related losses from the late-November deluge at nearly RM230 million, slightly higher than the RM200 million in damages recorded during the 2010 floods.
Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) chairman Dr Ismail Salleh said floods in Kedah and Perlis damaged about 11,657ha of paddy fields, affecting some 5,550 farmers and causing nearly RM20 million in losses. The worst-hit area is in Perlis, where 5,721ha were affected.
According to Malaysia’s central bank’s 2024 report, floods are expected to be the primary driver of climate-related production losses by 2030, with flood damage projected to amount to as much as 4.1% of national GDP.
When help is promised, but slow
Malaysia’s government is offering RM1,000 in flood relief to each registered affected household.
Yet, the registration process is tedious. NADMA has urged flood victims nationwide to register with the Social Welfare Department at temporary relief centres and to complete their details in the MyIBJKM mobile application so that the cash aid can be distributed quickly and in an orderly manner.
The fact that some victims were staying under a flyover to remain close to their homes has sparked worries that those who do not report to evacuation centres, or older farmers who lack digital skills, may fall through the cracks of the relief scheme.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the RM 1,000 assistance could be paid out as early as December 1, noting that under normal procedures, it is typically disbursed three days after an evacuation centre closes.
State media Bernama reported that the last relief centre in Perlis was officially closed on December 6.
However, as of December 12, farmers in Perlis say they have yet to receive the payment.
Dr Dalilawati Zainal, an Accounting professor at Universiti Malaya, said in an open letter that recovery from floods is difficult, especially for lower-income households.
“Damaged vehicles, lost income from daily wages, and the lack of financial buffers worsen post-flood hardship. This positions flood risk as both a sustainability concern and a matter of social equity,” she added.
Bridging the gap between plans on paper and lives in the mud
MET Malaysia director Mohd Hisham said global warming may already be shifting the country’s climate patterns, noting that while annual rainfall totals are similar, it is now falling in more extreme bursts. Extremely heavy downpours over short periods followed by longer dry spells are making the country more prone to flooding.
On paper, Malaysia’s response machinery is stronger than it was a decade ago, with more precise forecasts, more evacuation centres and billions of ringgit pledged for mitigation projects. Yet for farmers sleeping under flyovers and families squeezed into the back of trucks, the measure of success is simpler: how fast they can rebuild their lives.
As climate pressures mount, closing the gap between policy and people on the ground may prove just as critical as holding back the next surge of water.
Reporting: Natalie Mun natalielhmun@gmail.com
Nat is a Kuala Lumpur–based journalist who has reported for both local and international newsrooms, covering everything from breaking news to in-depth social and environmental features across Malaysia and the region.
Translation: 이슬기 skidolma@thedunia.org
