Concessionaire mulling raising level of New Pantai Expressway
Multiple agencies will look into improving existing infrastructure to address flash floods in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya.
This follows a joint site visit by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department, Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), New Pantai Expressway (NPE) Sdn Bhd and a developer to find a solution to the area’s flash flood problems.
Some proposals include widening the monsoon drain along Jalan Sri Manja, installing a permanent pumping system to channel water to Sungai Klang and raising the level of NPE.
NPE Sdn Bhd general manager Ong See Chang said his team was studying the feasibility of raising the level of the road.
“The highway was built in accordance with LLM specifications, taking into consideration surrounding factors and infrastructure.
“But we are worried that if the road level is raised, water will overflow to surrounding areas, such as nearby shoplots.”
However, Ong noted that once the problems in downstream locations such as around Jalan Sri Manja are resolved, flash floods on the expressway will ease.
On Feb 23, StarMetro reported that clogged drains, a silted retention pond on privately owned land and extreme rainfall were among the factors that contributed to flash floods at Jalan Sri Manja and the NPE near Taman Dato’ Harun on Nov 17 and Dec 30 last year.
The latter incident forced a partial closure of the expressway.
Since 2015, the NPE had recorded almost 20 flooding incidents in the vicinity.
They have been blamed on ageing infrastructure, which was no longer able to handle high volumes of stormwater, leading to overflows during heavy rain.
It was reported that MBPJ had used mobile pumps as a temporary measure while planning a permanent pumping system.
The developer’s project manager Eddie Leong said the firm spent RM700,000 between December 2025 and February this year on a major clean-up, including desilting a retention pond and removing vegetation.
“We have hired contractors to remove rubbish flowing from upstream into the pond daily.
“We will also study the feasibility of the permanent pump suggested by MBPJ and will contribute towards the system if it is deemed suitable,” he said.
