Beyond Indonesia and Malaysia, extreme weather conditions have also affected other parts of Southeast Asia including Vietnam and the Philippines in recent months.
Last month, Typhoon Kajiki claimed at least three lives and injured 10 others in Vietnam, authorities reported as severe flooding in the capital city of Hanoi also brought traffic to a standstill.
The storm damaged nearly 7,000 homes, inundated 28,800 hectares of rice plantings and uprooted approximately 18,000 trees, the government said in a statement.
Landslides caused by heavy rain from Typhoon Kajiki also killed five in Thailand as several provinces in the northern part of the country including tourist hotspots of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son were affected.
Earlier in July, a tropical storm struck the mountainous northern region of the Philippines, exacerbating a week-long spell of severe weather that left at least 25 people dead and forced the evacuation of about 278,000 residents, reported Sky News.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr warned that both the government and the public need to adapt to the increasing frequency and unpredictability of natural disasters due to climate change.
Siew, the environmental expert, told CNA that across the wider Southeast Asia region, warmer oceans and shifting monsoons are fuelling heavier downpours, and that Southeast Asia is expected to face more of these “extreme and erratic events” in the coming years.
He noted that floods and landslides are driven by a combination of factors, including intense rainfall, environmental changes due to human activities as well as inadequate drainage systems.
To manage the risks, Siew emphasised the importance of strengthening early warning systems, adopting climate-resilient urban planning and enhancing regional cooperation.
“Equally important is to restore forest cover and watersheds which act as natural flood defences,” Siew added.
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