Taman Sri Muda residents win suit against govt, others over 2021 floods

The High Court has ruled that Malaysian government authorities are responsible for damages resulting from the devastating floods of 2021 that struck Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam. Judicial Commissioner Shoba Rajah Dorai Rajah found the federal government, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the Ministry in charge of the Prime Minister's Special Functions, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, and the Environment and Water Minister to be jointly liable.

The court rejected the defendants' claim of "act of God," stating that reasonable human intervention could have mitigated the disaster. The court noted that while data existed to confirm the unprecedented rainfall, the agencies failed to use that data to protect citizens effectively. Additionally, they determined that Nadma and METMalaysia failed to issue timely warnings and enable effective rescue efforts.

The court also found the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage and Shah Alam City Council to be jointly responsible for maintaining the public drainage system despite claiming that infrastructure capacity had been exceeded. The ruling identified a broader systemic collapse in disaster management, including a lack of public awareness programs and delays in information transmission between agencies.

The case management is scheduled to occur on October 6 to determine the hearing date for assessing damages.