UPSET OVER FREQUENT FLASH FLOODS
KUALA LUMPUR: It is an understatement to say that Pandan Indah residents are frustrated over the frequent flash floods in Jalan Pandan Indah.
Pandan Youth Association adviser Muhamad Zaharudin Ali said the floodwater was more than a metre-high every time it rained.
“Imagine, every single time it rains, the road will be flooded, causing the already bad traffic in this area to worsen. It has been recurring for more than five years.
“Despite the upgrade to the drains, the flood still persists because the drains can’t channel water into Sungai Kerayong river rapidly enough,” he said.
He said it took more than two hours for the water to recede after it had stopped raining.
Septuagenarian Thong Kai said he had to fork out a few hundred ringgit to fix his car when it broke down in the middle of the road.
“I thought the water level wasn’t that high, so I drove my car through the floodwater. The water got into my exhaust pipe and damaged my engine.
“I have been living in Taman Pandan Indah for 23 years and it is really irritating that every time there’s a downpour, I have to wait for the water to subside or risk getting my car stuck in the floodwater,” he said.
R. Chandran, a 60-year-old resident, said the flash floods had caused accidents.
“It usually happens when a motorist brakes suddenly to avoid the floodwater, causing the vehicle behind to ram into him.
“Trust me when I say that at one time the situation wasn’t this bad. Back then, the drains were wider and after the authorities upgraded the drainage system, water began to overflow, flooding the road,” he said.
Pandan Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Leong Kok Wee urged the state government to address the problem as soon as possible
“I have received complaints from residents here who are fed up of the frequent flash floods.
“The local government should take steps to deepen the river and install U-shaped concrete blocks.
“However, the local authorities told the residents there was not enough funds to resolve the problem,” he said on Friday.
ACTIONLINE:
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) urged the state government to help in solving the problem.
Its spokesman told Actionline that both MPAJ and the Selangor government were currently discussing ways to resolve the flash flood.
“This location is among three the council is monitoring. We have already appointed a consultant to carry out studies and the results of the study were submitted to the state government for an allocation.
“The cost of resolving the problem is high. Hence we are currently in talks with the state government,” she said.
In the meantime, she said the council would clear up the drains twice a month to ease the water flow in the drains.