KUALA Lumpur residents want Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation’s (SWCorp) waste contractor Alam Flora to increase the frequency of drainage cleaning and rubbish collection in flood-prone areas.
Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman SKK Naidu said areas near the Church of Our Lady Fatima and La Salle Brickfields, which flooded on Nov 30, were at risk of flooding again due to clogged drains.
He showed a video footage of the flooded church along with a plea from a representative of the church asking Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to take action.
Naidu said floods were a recurring issue in Brickfields and covered drains could be an underlying cause.
“I have never seen the condition of drains prior to it being cleaned but when DBKL workers lifted the drain cover, it was filled with debris and plastic bottles,” he said, adding this was during a time when the city’s mayor visited the flood-prone area.
Naidu questioned whether the cleaning effort was effective given the recent flooding.
Naidu urges Alam Flora to clean the drains of flood-prone areas to ensure they are not clogged.
“Alam Flora should clean drains frequently to ensure they do not get clogged,” he said, urging Alam Flora to cooperate with DBKL to improve drain conditions.
“When rubbish gathers in drains, Alam Flora still has to refer to DBKL for assistance.”
Improve customer service too
For some Chow Kit residents, Alam Flora’s cleaning service has been a hit and miss.
Teh Choon Hock, who lives in the Jalan Tiong Nam, has contacted Alam Flora to clean a specific drain that was stagnant and rubbish-filled.
“It has been months since contacting Alam Flora and there has been no response,” he said.
On Dec 16, Alam Flora carried out its monthly drain maintenance along Jalan Tiong Nam 7.
Teh’s neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said residents were waiting for Alam Flora’s response and were upset that only one area in the neighbourhood had been attended to.
Resident Lee Sai, however, praised Alam Flora for doing a good job as he had seen workers at their job according to the area’s cleaning schedule.
In Kampung Sungai Baru, resident Puteri Nurul Jehan said rubbish from food stalls needed to be dealt with by the authorities.
“The waste contractor collects domestic and garden waste on time so this is not the problem,” she said.
Puteri Nurul says rubbish from food stalls needs to be dealt with in Kg Sungai Baru.
PPR Pinggiran Bukit Jalil resident, who only wanted to be known as Siva, said that he had never seen vacuum trucks carrying out drain maintenance.
Meanwhile Desa Rejang RA chairman Mohd Noor Md Tahir said Alam Flora collects rubbish regularly.
“There are no issues on rubbish falling into drains,” he said.
However, a visit to the flats showed this was not the case as heaps of waste could be seen around the area.
Monthly cleaning exercise
SWCorp managing director Ummi Kalthum Shuib said on-duty personnel were required to collect garden waste and rubbish bags.
“Residents can report on indiscriminate rubbish disposal and if it is a huge heap, it will be considered an illegal dumpsite.
“If we receive a complaint, the area will be monitored and if the perpetrator is caught, he or she will face legal action,” she said.
Ummi Kalthum said monthly cleaning was carried out regularly in Kuala Lumpur prior to the monsoon season.
“DBKL has since increased its monitoring and cleaning of drains,” she added.
So far, there has been no issues of drains overflowing in the 14 flood hotspots.
“Instead, rising water levels have appeared at new locations.”
“From our findings, new flooding locations are caused by privately-owned businesses not looking after their drains and this is out of SWCorp’s area of responsibility,” she explained.
Ummi Kalthum reminded the public that it was an offence under Section 71 of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 to dump rubbish in unauthorised areas.
Those found guilty can be fined up to RM100,000 or face up to five years in jail.
She said the public could call 1800-88-7472 to lodge complaints.
To find out about your drain cleaning or rubbish collection in your area, visit https://www.swcorp.gov.my/myHCS/
