Sungai Chua drainage upgrade to resolve flood issue

Upgrading work in progress along Jalan Berjaya 10, Sungai Chua in Kajang. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star

The drainage upgrading work along Jalan Berjaya 10, Sungai Chua in Kajang is expected to be completed by Dec 25.

The RM270,000 project under Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) was to upgrade the 500m stretch of drain surrounding an open-air carpark.

Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) councillor Nor Zulaila Abd Ghani said the project was initiated last year but delayed until this year because of a lack of funds.

“Water would overflow from the drain during a downpour because of a portion of the box culvert was clogged.

“Hawkers also tend to pour used cooking oil into the drain.

“Previously, the drain was covered and the structures above it made it difficult for maintenance to be carried out by contractors, ” she said at a press conference at the site.

The drain will be upgraded from a U-shape design to V-shape, while the box culvert will also be unclogged.

“Affected roads will be resurfaced as well. The upgrade should solve the problem of flash floods as well as improve cleanliness here, ” Nor Zulaila said.

Sungai Chua deputy village chief Wooi Choo Ken said the water overflow was dangerous and had caused some pedestrians to slip and fall.

“No drain upgrading works have been done here for more than 10 years and the flash flood problem has been taking place for the last two to three years, ” he said.

MPKj councillor Khoo Khim Han also urged nearby hawkers and restaurants not to place food stalls on pedestrian walkways as stated in the Trade, Licence, Business and Industry Bylaw 2007.

“We seized some of the stalls and closed down several shops that did not follow the by-law.

“We also urge traders not to discharge grease and wastewater into the drain. I will bring this matter up in a meeting with the council, ” he said.

Khoo added that he would also hold a dialogue with business owners to fine-tune existing guidelines of their operations during the recovery movement control order once the number of Covid-19 cases had gone down.