A REVIEW of the condition and safety of high-risk drains will be carried out in Selangor following two fatalities.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said many of these drains fall under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
He said while improvements could be made to specific high-risk drains, a blanket upgrade or closure of all such structures was not feasible, especially when it involved larger water bodies like rivers.
“For rivers and similar infrastructure, it is too extensive for us to manage entirely.
"So we need to have buffer zones and designated areas to prevent such incidents from happening."
Amirudin was commenting on the deaths of two children in the state recently,
On April 28, a 10-year-old boy fell into a drain in Bandar Puncak Alam and his body was later found in a Sungai Buloh river.
A nine-year-old girl was found in Sungai Langat after falling into a drain in Bandar Mahkota Cheras on May 1.
He added that authorities were re-examining both cases to understand the circumstances, including whether the victims had been playing near the drains or had fallen accidentally.
“In the first case, it involved a child playing at the site with others present before the unfortunate incident.
“For the second case, we are still reviewing the report, whether it involved playing in the area or falling while retrieving a ball,” he said.
Amirudin stressed that while infrastructure safety must be improved, community awareness and responsibility were equally important.
“All parties must play a role, not just parents, to ensure children avoid dangerous areas, especially locations identified as high-risk,” he said.
