Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has barred his Cabinet members from taking leave, following displacement of over one lakh people in floods.
Four persons have died and 94,778 people have been evacuated to 527 temporary shelters in nine states.
The National Disaster Management Agency said that Kelantan accounted for 63 percent of the 122,631 people displaced.
Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu are the worst hit, according to the National Disaster Command Centre.
More than 70,000 persons have been displaced here.
According to state news agency Bernama, the number of flood victims in Terengganu increased by over 10,000 within 12 hours.
Officials fear that this disaster could be the country’s worst in a decade.
Ibrahim told reporters, “All ministers have been asked to continue their duties and go down to the ground now.”
“Yes,” Anwar replied when asked if ministers’ leave had been frozen.
Floods are common on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia during the monsoon period between October and March.
This week’s torrential rain has led to mass evacuations, mostly in the northeastern state of Kelantan that borders Thailand.
Videos on social media showed overflowing rivers, submerged cars, and houses inundated by flood waters.
The Meteorological Department said heavy showers were expected in eight states until Saturday.
Dangerous levels of rain has been forecast for multiple districts in Kelantan and Terengganu.
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this week that the floods were expected to be more severe than in 2014.
At that time, nearly a quarter of a million people were forced from their homes.
Hamidi, who chairs the National Disaster Management Committee sais that thousands of emergency services personnel have been deployed in flood-prone states along with rescue boats, four-wheel-drive vehicles and helicopters
The flood has also impacted seven provinces in southern Thailand, with four fatalities so far.
Over 240,000 households are affected, according to its interior ministry.
(With inputs from Reuters)
