Exco man: Large items thrown into river hampering dredging progress

The dredger can operate at 25 cubic metres per hour but large items discarded into the river is slowing down its operations.

THE great amount of rubbish in the river is hampering the progress of dredging and widening works at Sungai Klang.

Selangor infrastructure and public amenities, agriculture modernisation and agro-based industry committee chairman Izham Hashim said there were many layers of rubbish that obstructed the project.

“During the cleaning process, we found tyres, large mattresses and even baby strollers,” he said.

He disclosed that another dredger might be brought in to help deal with the sheer amount of rubbish in the river.

“The dredger can operate at 25 cubic metres per hour, which is 30m to 50m a day,” he added.

It was reported in StarMetro on Nov 2 that works had begun on Blocks 1 and 3 along the river, covering about a 10km stretch near Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, which is a flood hotspot.

Izham said he expected to complete the project within five to six months at flood-prone areas and that the dredging would also help with water reserves.

“As the river deepens by 20m to 30m, there is an excess water capacity of 35% to 50%.

“These water resources will be connected to the system, which can be utilised during a drought that is expected in 2026,” he said during a press conference in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam in Selangor.

“It would not be wise to focus on the drought only when it occurs,” he said, adding that it was best to plan ahead of the drought.

Izham said the public might see rubbish in rivers as unimportant but this issue affected drainage and irrigation systems and could lead to bigger problems.