Flood victims want less talk, more action

The aftermath: Residents in Puncak Alam, Kuala Selangor clearing mud and debris after the neighbourhood was hit by flash floods.

SELANGOR is once again knee-deep in floodwaters due to the monsoon season and residents are annoyed that a solution has not been found after years of promises.

Selangorians expressed their disappointment over inaction by government agencies and developers to resolve the recurring floods that was taking the state by storm.

In the last two weeks alone Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam had been affected at least four times by flash floods each time it rained heavily.

The residential area had a history of severe floods over the last 20 years, and although the severity had reduced, residents still faced heavy losses each time water found its way indoors.

A motorcyclist looking at the motorcycle lane that is completely submerged near the Batu Tiga KTM Station following heavy rain.

Taman Sri Muda Zone A Rukun Tetangga chairman T. Mogan said residents had given up on the possibility of a flood-free neighbourhood.

“The authorities have given us numerous reasons for the floods including pump failure at the Sungai Klang river in Sri Muda, but shouldn’t there be a back-up especially when you know we will be affected without it?” he said.

Mogan said someone should be stationed at the pump station during the monsoon season to activate the pump during rising tides.

Another solution he said is to widen the main drain which acts as the outlet to Sungai Klang to increase its capacity.

Another area that has seen its fair share of flash floods is the Section 13 stadium carpark that saw parked cars submerged after a two-hour downpour last Monday.

Cars forced to wade through the floods at the Jalan Meru/ Puncak Alam intersection.

The Batu Tiga KTM station is also renowned for the floods covering the tracks and the carpark. Commuters often rush to the station to salvage their cars but are often too late.

Other areas affected on Monday evening were the old Subang airport road, parts of Taman Sentosa in Klang, U8, Shah Alam as well as several major highways including the New Klang Valley Expressway, Shah Alam toll plaza, and a landslip at the Kesas Kewajipan interchange.

While these areas have become common flash flood areas, new ones have slowly emerged including Puncak Alam, Kuala Selangor where 140 families were forced to be relocated for the night on Sunday.

This is the second time floods hit the old neighbourhood of Jalan Lautan Samudera, the first was on Aug 11 this year.

Just as the residents moved on after the first incident, replacing their ruined furniture the second flood hit and this time, water level rose higher.

“I spent money replacing the TV and kitchen cabinets, and cupboards and now they are all ruined again. This time the water rose to my hip level,” said retired teacher Kamar Zainal Abidin, 65.

Two men seen wading through knee-deep water while on their way to the pedestrian bridge near the Batu Tiga KTM Station.

Her neighbour Zariman Zainal, 42, an executive said he lost close to RM10,000 worth of possessions.

He said the drains in the area are not enough to cope with the sudden increase of development in the township.

“The remedial works they did after the first flood was to increase the height of the bund near the Puncak Alam lake. That did not help at all,” he added.

Another resident Ahmad Zabidi Zainal Abidin, 46, said he was disappointed that the residents were left in the dark about the remedial works to fix the problem.

He said they heard from a third party that the state government had allocated RM600,000 to resolve the issue but nothing was done after that.

“They need to re-study the drainage for the whole of Puncak Alam. Until then there is nothing we can do but wait. The government has to take action, not us,” he said.

While these residents clean up mud and sludge after the floods, residents in Bandar Puteri, Klang on the other hand have to deal with sewage water backflow.

Residents have had to deal with backflow from their toilet bowls and indoor drainage system every time it rained and their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.

Resident V.S. Kumar said they have been suffering with this problem for more than six years now.

“Every time it rains for 20 minutes, our back lane drains will be full of rainwater and it will overflow into our houses.

“To make things worse our toilet bowls will be full of sewage water too,” he said.

He said some 50 houses around Jalan Sanggul, Pending and Kerongsang were affected each time.

Another resident Pankaj Nair said numerous complaints were made to the Klang Municipal Council, the developer and Indah Water Konsortium but nothing was done.

Floods at the Taman Sri Muda commercial area that left cars at the workshop stranded for an hour.

“We have been paying IWK and MPK bills promptly but the service we are getting back is a letdown,” he added.

Meanwhile, Selangor Wanita MCA chief Ong Chong Swen said she could feel the agony and pain residents face each time it floods.

Ong said the Selangor state government should have improved infrastructures and drainage in anticipation of the floods.

“They can no longer blame the abnormal rainfall, the drainage and the developments because all these issues could have been fixed within the seven years under their administration,” she said.

Ong said Selangor is developing rapidly and proper enforcement by the local councils and the state could prevent floods from occurring.

However Ong also stressed that the public should also play a role in maintaining the cleanliness of drains to help the situation as well.

“If both the public and the state government work hand-in-hand things will be better. The heavier responsibility does lie with the state to resolve the situation that is long overdue,” she added.

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