PETALING JAYA: The flood situation in the East Coast could worsen depending on the total rainfall on coastlines and high tides, says a meteorological expert.
Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah of National Antartica, Samudera Science Institute and Bumi Universiti Malaya said so far the rainfall occurred along the coastlines during high tides from Dec 1 to 2.
"If the downpour occurs in the inner part of the rural areas, it could be like 2014 where the water level rose faster and the river overflowed leading to the bursting of the banks, Sinar Harian quoted Azizan as saying on Friday (Nov 29).
Azizan said the floods this time around could be controlled because the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the state are prepared to face the floods.
"The rain is expected to dissipate by Nov 30, when the situation is expected to return to normal with the onset of the new monsoon.
"However MetMalaysia is predicting that the East Coast monsoon will have seven surges until March. As such the risk of floods after Nov 30 is real," he added.