KUANG: Mercy Malaysia will work with 10 villages in the district of Kundang in Selangor to prepare them for potential disasters.
The villagers will also be taught how to minimise any impact of disasters on their community.
Several government agencies will be involved in the initiative, known as the community-based Disaster Risk Management programme.
Head of strategic planning at Mercy Malaysia Hafiz Amirrol told theSun that the villagers would be taught to understand the nature of disasters and the importance of community involvement. “It’s about teaching people at the grassroots level to handle potential disasters,“ he said.
He said the objective was to reduce loss of lives and damage to personal property as well as to build resilience to ensure that those affected recovered quickly after a disaster.
In 2017, flash floods and landslides left several stretches of roads in Bandar Baru Kundang badly damaged. More than 6,000 people were also affected by the disaster.
Losses were estimated at RM5,000 to RM10,000 per household, according to Selangor Disaster Management Unit head Ahmad Fairuz Yusof.
Disaster risk management is a fairly new concept in Malaysia, although it is already a well-established practice in developed countries such as Japan and Europe.
Kuang assemblyman Sallehudin Amiruddin said now that the weather had been so unpredictable, it was important for the local community to be prepared all year round, and not just during the wet season.
