Everyone needs to do their part to ensure drains are not clogged as blockages are a major cause of frequent floods in the Klang Valley.
ENFORCEMENT action will be taken against businesses in commercial and industrial areas that fail to maintain their drains.
Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) said checks were being stepped up.
Its Federal Territories director Ummi Kalthum Shuib said many drains in such areas were often poorly maintained, resulting in overflow.
“SWCorp is not obliged to provide service as it is the responsibility of premises owners to appoint a private contractor to do a clean-up of drains in their areas.
“However, clogged waterways in such areas can cause overflow in other areas, resulting in flash floods so we need to take action,” she told StarMetro.
Ummi Kalthum pointed to the Nov 28 incident when Jalan Genting Klang in Setapak was inundated after an evening downpour.
“Our checks revealed that although the public drains were clear, many drains near commercial premises were not.
“We will start issuing compounds to owners of premises with clogged drains,” she said.
She added that SWCorp was working with its concessionaire Alam Flora and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to step up cleaning at 32 rubbish hotspots.
“Our teams are deployed daily from 4pm to 10pm to help DBKL as there has been an increase in the amount of rubbish being disposed,” she added.
Ummi Kalthum also noted that debris such as wood and silt from nearby construction sites often complicate cleaning works.
Citing the Dataran Merdeka area in Jalan Raja as an example, she urged contractors to dispose of their waste responsibly.
She warned that errant parties could be hauled to court, which could result in hefty fines and jail time.
Clogged with debris
KL stakeholders are also calling on DBKL to ensure drains in the capital are cleaned regularly.
Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman SKK Naidu said the area around the Church of Our Lady Fatima and La Salle schools were inundated on Nov 28.
He said residents found the surrounding drains filled with mud and sediment, believed to be from a nearby construction project.
“Luckily, the pump house servicing the area was operational,” he said, adding that there was a need to upgrade drainage in the area.
Naidu also highlighted that many drain covers in Brickfields were damaged due to vehicles being parked on them.
“The broken covers will fall into the drains and lead to more rubbish clogging up waterways,” he said.
Community activist Yee Poh Ping said the floods near the Parliament building last month had marred the capital’s image.
He proposed that excess water from the area be diverted to the nearby Perdana Botanical Garden.
Yee also questioned the efficacy of DBKL’s placement of sandbags at riverbanks.
“It should work with Alam Flora to conduct proper clean-ups of drains,” he added.
Over in Selangor, high-intensity rain in the evenings have been causing floods to occur in several parts in the state.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis said other than drains not being able to handle the volume of surface runoff, issues such as clogged drains due to sand or rubbish had reduced their capacity, causing floods.
“Floods do happen due to poor maintenance of the drainage network as rubbish obstructs the flow of rainwater which causes it to overflow onto roads,” he said.
Norazam advised people to keep drains free of obstructions and inform the local authorities if neighbourhood drains were clogged so they could be cleaned.
The department has also intensified its level of flood preparedness in light of the north-east monsoon that is expected to last until March 2023.
It said manpower and equipment had been beefed up.
“We have 1,752 firefighters in 37 stations in nine districts, one Fire and Rescue post in Pulau Indah and three forward control posts with boats in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam; as well as Batu 14 and Sungai Lui; both in Hulu Langat,” he said.
The department is working closely with community groups to ensure that area volunteers can act quickly in an emergency before department personnel arrive.
“We have 72 boats that include inflatable and aluminium boats, seven fire rescue vehicles, 19 lorries, 50 four-wheel drive trucks and 74 fire engines,” he said.
Norazam added that the department had identified flood-prone areas.
“We have 307 high-risk flood areas and 52 flood hotspots (where floods occurred three times between 2019 and 2022) in the nine districts of Selangor,” he said.
Better prepared
Preparations in Hulu Langat and Sepang in Selangor have kicked into high gear.
These were among the worst-hit areas during the December 2021 floods.
Sepang Municipal Council councillor R. Arumugam said its District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) had conducted flood simulation exercises with the relevant agencies in Tasik Cyberjaya.
He said the committee was confident of responding to any flood emergency efficiently with the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) on hand as backup.
“Sepang has been affected by floods almost on a daily basis in the past weeks,” he told StarMetro.
“On Nov 29, Kampung Ampar Tenang and Kampung Sri Tanjung in Dengkil were flooded, forcing some 80 families to seek shelter at two temporary evacuation centres.
“The next day, it rained again and Smart was on standby at the site,” he said, adding that the incident had instilled confidence in people that they would be rescued when the situation worsened.
Arumugam also said two community halls, namely Dewan Orang Ramai Taman Gemilang and Dewan Orang Ramai Dengkil would be used as temporary evacuation centres.
For Hulu Langat, its district officer Dr Ani Ahmad, who is the DDMC chairman, said coordination meetings were held with all relevant agencies.
This enabled them to share their programmes and activities for flood preparation, enable inter-agency coordination and improve flood mitigation and preparedness.
She said the agencies involved included the Fire and Rescue Department, police, Drainage and Irrigation Department, Kajang Municipal Council, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, district health office and the Meteorological Department.
“Disaster management simulations have been held at district and state-level.
“These simulations help agencies to identify gaps and methods to ensure that all emergency operations run smoothly.
“The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department has also placed its personnel on permanent standby in anticipation of year-end flooding.
“The squad also does regular monitoring of river levels, especially during heavy rain,” she said.
Ani said community-based disaster risk management workshops were organised so that the public would know what to do in case of an emergency.
“The Civil Defence Emergency Response Team programme was launched in Hulu Langat on Sept 14 to empower the local community to become first responders during floods.
“Food has been stocked up at forward bases to ensure the supplies can be transported to temporary shelters around the district.
“This was a lesson we learnt during last year’s floods when food supplies could not be sent to temporary shelters in time after roads were cut off,” she said.
Ani said 56 areas had been identified as flood-prone and 52 premises earmarked as temporary shelters which could accommodate up to 8,740 people.
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