Clogged monsoon drain triggers frequent flashfloods on NPE

RUBBISH has clogged a monsoon drain in Jalan PJS1/13 so badly that it causes bad flooding of an exit road at KM18.9 of the New Pantai Expressway (NPE), opposite Taman Maju Jaya.

The flashflood can happen after only a 30-minute downpour. The last flooding incident took place two weeks ago.

Motorists wanting to make a U-turn to Taman Maju Jaya or those heading to PJS2, Petaling Jaya Old Town, Jalan Kelang Lama and Bangsar are unable to do so because of fast-rising water.

The rubbish in the monsoon drain, which is big enough to accommodate a two-seater Smart car, is made up of thick silt, wood pieces, mattresses, vegetation, plastic bags and bottles.

The drain channels water from across the Jalan Tandang 204A industrial area NPE and into Sungai Kelang bordering the Puchong part of the Shah Alam Expressway.

A Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) cleaning contractor said the 110m-long covered monsoon drain had not been cleaned or maintained at all, to his knowledge.

This is because there is no single concrete cover that can be removed for them to clean up the monsoon drain, he added.

Agreeing with the cleaning contractor, MBPJ Engineering Department director Ismail Shafie said the council planned to engage a consultant to find a solution to the problem and to address the structural defect of the monsoon drain.

Flashfloods that turned the KM18.9 stretch into a river has been a nagging problem for motorists and Taman Maju Jaya residents as well as MBPJ Public Complaints Department, which is inundated with complaints.

File picture of motorists wading through the recent flashfloods at Km18.9 NPE just before the U- turn to
PJS1/13 Petaling Jaya.

Taman Maju Jaya resident Bukhari Husman, 38, said the flashflood had been occurring for at least five years and the waters would rise by a metre in a 40-minute downpour.

“It has been a recurring problem but MBPJ has not done anything to address this.

“We are angry that the council has not cleaned up the drain.

Trader Azli Ali, 37, said his motorcycle had once stalled in the flood waters and he had to spend money on repairs.

“MBPJ councillor Raja Fairuz Raja Mazlan, who is in charge of this area, must get the council engineers to look into this seriously,” he said.

NPE engineering, maintenance and traffic manager Mohamad Omar said the affected stretch was low-lying and the backflow of water from the clogged drain caused the flashfloods.

NPE corporate communication senior executive Mohd Halmiee Saharudin said he had written to the council’s Engineering, Public Complaints and Health departments on the matter but “the council has been silent”

“In mid-2013, we had a meeting with the Malaysian Highway Authority and the council but until now there has been no follow-up.

“NPE is willing to work with MBPJ to end this problem,” he said.