High Court finds Putrajaya, Selangor authorities liable for Taman Sri Muda flood devastation

On September 29, the High Court in Shah Alam ruled that the Malaysian government and several key authorities were responsible for the damages caused by the devastating 2021 floods in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam. The plaintiffs, consisting of 50 residents, successfully demonstrated the negligence and breach of duty by the defendants, including the federal government, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the Ministry of Meteorology, and the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).

The court dismissed the defendants' "act of God" defense, as reasonable human intervention could have mitigated the disaster. The ruling emphasized that Nadma failed to escalate disaster response and deploy rescue teams effectively, while METMalaysia did not issue timely warnings despite accurate forecasts. Additionally, the court held that the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage and the Shah Alam City Council were jointly liable for maintaining public drainage systems within their jurisdiction.

The case management for determining the hearing date for damage assessment is scheduled for October 6.