Excess vegetation in Subang Jaya pond to be cleared

Ng talking about the status of a retention pond near Wangsa Baiduri at Jalan SS12/1.

Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) has been tasked with clearing the vegetation at the retention pond at SS12/1, Subang Jaya.

At a press conference in her office in SS14, Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng said last year, Wangsa Baiduri residents had voiced their concerns over the increasing vegetation at the pond.

“Residents living near the pond are worried that the increase in water hyacinths covering the pond would change the ecosystem.

“They have spotted snakes and monitor lizards, ” she said.

Ng explained that it was not a straightforward issue as they needed to find out the rightful owner of the pond.

On Sept 17 last year, Ng visited the site with Petaling Land Office, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and residents representatives as well as Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) councillor Ken Chia.

A month later, a meeting, which included resident representatives, was held at the land office to determine the ownership of the land.

In a subsequent meeting in December with Selangor DID, TNB and land office representatives, it was agreed that TNB would prepare the plans and hand over the land to DID for gazettement of the pond under Section 62 of the National Land Code.

Also at the press conference was Chia, who said, TNB had been providing maintenance work over the years such as grass-cutting for the area surrounding the pond.

Ng said she received a letter from DID dated Jan 17, stating that it was now responsible for the land.

The pond will be included in Selangor DID’s inventory.

“DID will need to conduct a survey to determine the underground profile of the pond, ” Ng said.

She added that DID was now carrying out a tender process to appoint a contractor.

The contractors will appoint an engineer for the project and the engineer will have to obtain a permit from TNB before proceeding.

“As there are TNB pylons around the area, the engineer will have to advise on the machinery that can be used.

“I urge DID and TNB to prioritise this project and hopefully, it can be completed within the first half of the year, ” added Ng.