Following back-to-back floods that submerged two Kepong Baru neighbourhoods last April, frustrated residents are calling for immediate intervention before the waters rise again.
The commercial area around Jalan Development in Taman Kepong was one of the areas affected on April 19 and 20.
Restaurant operator Chew Ching Lean, 54, said it was the first time in 50 years that the area was flooded.
“I believe the floods were caused by the clogged drains behind Jalan Development.
“Fortunately, I managed to clear the stuff in my restaurant quickly, so there was not any significant damage.”
In a social media post on April 23, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said illegal drain modifications and illegal bridges built on private land that narrowed water passage, as well as rubbish that obstructed the flow of water were identified by the authorities as the causes of the floods.
“Repair works on the drain behind Jalan Development started right after their investigation,” he said in an April 20 social media video.
However, these explanations failed to convince community activist Yee Poh Ping, who represented the shop owners and residents around Jalan Development.
He alleged that the floods happened after the illegal levelling of the land for a project behind Jalan Development.
“The levelling started around April or May last year, without any project signboards.
“The land used to be a swamp located lower than the road and able to catch rainwater,” he said, adding that the rainwater was no longer being absorbed after the levelling.
Yee also said the contractor did not upgrade the drainage system around the building and this affected the capacity of the existing drain.
“I wrote a letter to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) on June 3 last year, but no action was taken.
“DBKL then cordoned off the construction site in August, but it was ignored by the contractor.
“At the end of last November, DBKL erected a signboard at the construction site to explain the project and seek public feedback.
“Why was this not done before the construction started?”
Another neighbourhood that was flooded was Taman Antoi, with waters rising to about 0.61m on April 20.
Persatuan Penduduk Antoi Kepong Kuala Lumpur secretary Kelvin Ooi believed the recurring floods in Taman Antoi was caused by a flood-diversion project under the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).
He said the project was aimed at diverting water from Sungai Keroh to the Jinjang retention pond.
“Every time the valve in Taman Pusat Kepong is closed for the diversion during heavy rains, Taman Antoi is flooded in just a few minutes.
“Something must have gone wrong in the route diversion,” he said.
Ooi urged authorities to upgrade the drains along several streets in the neighbourhood including Jalan Antoi Kanan 2, Jalan Antoi 3 and Jalan Antoi Kanan 4.
“DBKL started the drain upgrades on Jalan Antoi Kanan 2 on April 29,” he added.
DBKL and DID did not respond to queries regarding the issue at press time.
