OVERGROWN bushes, clogged drains and abandoned shoplots in Taman Sentosa, Klang, have become a health and safety concern for nearby residents.
Those living along Jalan Dato Dagang 31 claim that lack of maintenance and enforcement by Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) has allowed snakes, rats and mosquitoes to thrive.
Sulaiman Gerard Abdullah, 71, said the problem had worsened since early this year.
“Our fears became reality when last month, a python entered our house,” he said.
“We filed a complaint to MBDK but there has been no follow-up action.”
He said the area had also been identified as a dengue hotspot, and outsiders had dumped rubbish in the bushes.
When StarMetro visited the site, drains were found clogged with sludge and stagnant water.
Several shoplots were abandoned and filled with rubbish, while surrounding bushes were overgrown and strewn with litter.
Multiple residents said the city council had failed to take action despite complaints, and called for cleaning, maintenance and enforcement at the shoplots to improve their living conditions.
Another resident, Segaran Nagen said he lodged multiple complaints with MBDK between mid-2024 and March this year.
“I was told that summonses were issued to shopowners for rubbish at their premises, but they just paid the fines and no further action was taken.
“We are taxpayers too. The least MBDK can do is maintain cleanliness, but now we are living in constant fear of snakes.”
Residents believed there were snakes in one of the shoplots, but said nobody had come to inspect the property.
Segaran added that the last fogging exercise for dengue was over a year ago, while abandoned cars had been left to rot in the area too.
Another resident who has lodged complaints with MBDK is Sivakumar Muthukumar.
“There is no drain cleaning here,” he said.
He added that Taman Sentosa’s low-lying terrain made it prone to flooding and clogged drains could worsen the situation.
Koogan Thamas, 35, said the living conditions had affected his children’s daily lives.
“My children, aged nine and 11, no longer go out to play after hearing about the snakes,” he said, adding that rats were also a common sight.
When contacted, an MBDK spokeperson said cleaning works would be carried out by KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd under the supervision of the city council’s Environmental Services Department, while its Health Department would also issue notices to owners of the abandoned shoplots.
