Poor upkeep at Taman Zaaba puts park-goers in harm’s way

POOR maintenance, uneven pathways and broken drain covers at the Zaaba recreational park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur, are a safety hazard for residents and park-goers.

They say the pathway leading in and out of the park and the surrounding walkway need to be repaired as its current condition may cause injury to unsuspecting visitors.

A resident who wanted to be identified only as Tammy, 34, said she fell down after stepping on a broken pathway leading to the park’s basketball court.

Residents walking on the road as it is too risky to walk on the walkway which has missing drain covers in Taman Zaaba.

“I was heading back to my car after exercising in the park and did not notice the broken surface. I lost my balance when I stepped on it and fell on my right side.

“I suffered scrapes on my hands and bruised my right knee.

“My phone screen protector cracked due to the fall and damaged the phone display,” she said.

Tammy filed a complaint at Adu@KL on Feb 13 but had not received a reply from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

“There needs to be better maintenance to prevent accidents like this at the park.

“Serious injuries can result from insufficient upkeep of public amenities.

“We have to think of the safety of park users,” she stressed.

A check by StarMetro found that some of the pathways at Taman Zaaba were damaged.

Some drain covers that doubled up as walkways were missing while others were broken resulting in gaping holes and uneven surfaces.

Athirah Raihana, 19, who lives opposite the park, said Taman Zaaba was badly in need of maintenance.

“Once, when I took my cousins and sister to the playground, they fell down after stepping on the uneven surface of the drain cover.

“Luckily their injury was not serious.

“A fence surrounding the park was added years ago and the authorities should also look into park maintenance,” she added.

Athirah said there were jutting road kerbs surrounding the park.

“The residents here tend to park their vehicles on the roadside near the park and they might knock into these kerbs,” she said.

When contacted, a DBKL spokesperson said the matter would be looked into. — By JAROD LIM