An Alam Flora worker crawls into a culvert in Jalan Petaling to remove sediment and construction debris after a downpour in KL. – Photo courtesy of SWCorp
THOUSANDS of kilometres of polypipes, water pipes, fibre optic cables built inside and outside drain canals and over culverts are disrupting the flow of rainwater during downpours and are a major factor causing flash floods in Kuala Lumpur.
The Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) Federal Territories says these cables and pipes are illegally installed.
ALSO READ: Drains blocked with utility cables one reason for recent floods, says Alam Flora
A drain in Jalan Imbi is also choked with trash that will hamper the flow of rainwater. – LOW LAY PHON/The Star
The pipes and cables can be seen jutting out in hundreds of areas around the city, particularly the central business district.
Bunches of cables that were lining drains were spotted around the areas of Bukit Bintang, Pudu, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Chow Kit.
Some of the drains are in such a poor state that they are unable to cope with the volume of water during heavy rain.
ALSO READ: Flood clean-up in KL hampered by rubbish, illegal utility cables
Plastic waste like mineral water bottles and cups that end up in the drains are getting entangled with the cables and polypipes. This hampered the movement of water, causing the drains to overflow.
Alam Flora workers who spoke to StarMetro, on condition of anonymity, complained about their back-breaking efforts to manually pull out the waste, piece by piece, as they were afraid of damaging the cables.
Flashback: StarMetro article in May 2016 showed Alam Flora stating that illegal utility cables and wires inside drains hampered water flow.
“It (cables) should not be there. The drains should be covered (so that cables cannot be put in) but it’s like this everywhere,” said the worker.
“Some (cables) are over 15cm thick and it makes it very difficult and time consuming to clear the clog,” the worker added.
StarMetro spoke to several shop owners where cables could be seen inside drains beside their premises, but none took responsibility, with all claiming they had no knowledge of it.
It was easy to identify the water pipes as they were connected to a water meter, but there were also dozens of other unidentifiable cables.
Some premises owners had tiled the public walking paths, covering the drains and built extensions, blocking the drains completely.
Polypipes attached to water metres were spotted inside the drains, extending over walls, drain culverts and road kerbs.
A drain congested with polypipes and rubbish in Jalan Barat. – LOW LAY PHON/The Star
DBKL Project Implementation executive director Datuk Azmi Abdul Hamid said the Malaysian Institute of Public Works (Ikram) would be compiling an inventory of drains clogged with utility cables.
He said DBKL would take immediate action to solve the more serious ones of drains clogged with cables.
“We hope the public can point us to areas with cables inside drains. These are illegal,” he said.
Azmi said DBKL’s Public Service Delivery Team (PSDT) would be checking the drains before its consultants came up with a permanent solution at the end of the year.
“We will get the team to supervise utility contractors at the sites,” he added.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah had recently announced 14 interim measures to target 25 flash flood-prone areas in the capital.
Polypipes jutting out under a haphazardly placed drain cover at Jalan Walter Grenier. — BAVANI M/The Star
Costing RM10mil, the Flood Mitigation Action Plan 2020 measures included ensuring the city drains were free from obstruction.
Mahadi said workers from PSDT would ensure the drains were free of rubbish, tree branches, utility pipes and cables.
In April, DBKL appointed Ikram as the consultant to study the drainage system in Kuala Lumpur.
An Air Selangor representative confirmed the pipes with water meters belonged to the utility company.
The Public Service Delivery Team clearing clogged drains in Jalan Besar Kepong after heavy rain. – Photo courtesy of DBKL
“Yes, the ones with meters are water pipes. Air Selangor is gradually replacing pipes in drains with those that are placed underground.’’
In May 2016, Alam Flora chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan said illegal utility cables and wires inside drains had contributed to floods.
To prove his point, Mohd Zain took reporters to the flood hotspots and randomly selected manholes and drains that were chocked with rubbish as well as the bunches of cables and polypipes inside.
Despite that revelation, illegal cables and pipes inside drains and manholes continue to be a problem today.
