Study on National Disaster Management Bill to be completed within 12 months

KUALA LUMPUR: A baseline study on the proposed Disaster Risk Reduction Act, following the proposal for the National Disaster Management Bill, is expected to be completed within 12 months.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the findings and recommendations of the study, conducted by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), would be reviewed and coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies before the proposed policy and legislation are finalised.

"At present, a specific timeline for the tabling of the National Disaster Management Bill in the Dewan Rakyat has yet to be determined.

"This is because the current process still involves reviewing the need for, and the appropriate form of, the legislative framework," he said in a written reply published on the parliament website.

Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, was responding to a question from Zahir Hassan (PH-Wangsa Maju) regarding the latest developments in drafting the bill.

He said the findings would serve as an important basis for Nadma in determining efforts to strengthen disaster governance, particularly in prevention, risk reduction, and enhancing the resilience of communities and the nation.

"The government is taking an approach to ensure that the form and scope of the proposed legislation are truly suited to the country's disaster management needs, rather than simply enacting a new law without first identifying the actual gaps in the existing framework.

"This approach is also in line with the country's disaster management direction, which emphasises science-, data-, and technology-based preparedness, early action, early warning systems, clear command structures, and rapid and coordinated responses," he said.