Residents in five adjacent housing estates are urging Ipoh City Council (MBI) and private landowners to take immediate action over years of neglected maintenance.
They claim overgrown vegetation, clogged drains and abandoned plots have triggered flooding, snake encounters, mosquito infestations and security risks in their neighbourhoods.
The affected areas – Taman Kepayang Suria, Taman Westpool, Taman Kim Fah, Taman Sunrise and Taman Kinta – fall under the Kepayang state constituency, represented by Nga Kor Ming, who is Housing and Local Government Minister.
Built between the 1960s and 1990s, the five neighbourhoods comprise more than 300 houses.
Taman Kepayang Suria resident Hardyal Singh, 76, said he had been lodging complaints with MBI for the past five years regarding 3m-high grass behind his house.
“I have gone to MBI about 10 times personally and also submitted complaints online,” he said, noting that the vegetation had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and snakes.
Hardyal, who has lived in the neighbourhood for seven years, said the Health Department visited his home three times this year following complaints.
“I have encountered snakes near my house and managed to kill one before it entered,” he said.
According to him, much of the vacant land belongs to private owners who only cut the grass every three to five months, usually after intense pressure was applied to the city council.
Landowners previously conducted monthly maintenance, but efforts had reduced significantly over the past five years, he said.
Hardyal said MBI told him notices and summonses were issued to the landowners, but little had changed.
“When residents complain, MBI contacts the landowners, they cut the grass and after that, the cycle repeats,” he said.
Apart from health concerns, Hardyal said neglected land had created security risks.
“My immediate neighbour’s vacant house was broken into.
“Thieves cut through the windows and stole electrical items.
“The overgrown vegetation hid them from view,” he said, adding that he was spearheading efforts to register a residents’ association named “Persatuan Penduduk Lima Taman” which are all neighbourhoods facing similar issues.
Safety risks
In Taman Kim Fah, retired policeman P. Peter Kesarajah, 69, said maintenance of public areas had deteriorated drastically since he moved there in 2012.
Peter said overgrown tree branches near his home posed a major hazard during heavy rain.
“I complained several times about trees not being properly pruned.
“When nothing was done, I spent RM1,500 of my own money to cut down a tree which posed a hazard,” he said.
Peter said residents regularly encountered snakes and faced a growing monkey nuisance.
“Monkeys enter the neighbourhood and damage property,” he said.
He added that his house had been broken into four times over the years due to dense vegetation on poorly maintained land, which made it easier for criminals to operate unnoticed.
Peter also highlighted a sinkhole in the area, describing it as a serious safety hazard.
He said part of a drain in Lorong Meteor had collapsed into a 3m-deep sinkhole.
Snake threats
In Taman Sunrise, customer support executive Darren Cheng, 44, called for scheduled routine maintenance rather than relying on public complaints.
“Along Jalan Matahari, pavement grass is not cut until a complaint is made.
“Why can’t routine maintenance be scheduled?” he asked.
Cheng said overgrown vegetation had led to an increase in mosquitoes and snakes.
“One cobra bit my dog about two years ago and it died.
“I stopped my morning jogging routine after spotting cobras twice near a clogged drain in Jalan Matahari,” he said.
Cheng added that the condition of a local field had made it unsafe for children.
“My children are 11 and eight years old.
“Whenever they want to go to the field, we accompany them and avoid certain areas because of the snake sightings,” he said.
Cheng said MBI officers often ask residents to identify specific trees requiring attention whenever complaints were lodged.
“I tell them the whole neighbourhood – just give all the trees a proper pruning.
“If they do it properly, we would not need to complain again for another two or three years,” he said.
Another long-time Taman Sunrise resident Ng Tuck Meng, 73, said ageing infrastructure built 40 years ago could no longer handle storm water due to surrounding development.
“The drains were built 40 years ago and were much smaller.
“With new development, the drains can no longer cope,” he said, adding that sediment, fallen leaves and branches frequently choke the system.
Ng, who rescues stray cats, said he had captured six cobras around his house over the years.
“The sight of monkeys, snakes and monitor lizards has become more common, partly because of urban expansion,” he said.
Pollution woes
In Taman Kinta, Denny Khoo, 71, said a large vacant plot opposite his home in Lebuh Bulan had been neglected, with grass growing taller than him.
“Both my neighbours have had cobras enter their houses,” Khoo said, adding that mosquitoes breeding in puddles in the tall grass had heightened dengue concerns.
Fellow Taman Kinta resident Leslie Paul D’Silva, 63, who lives in Jalan Kepayang, said the latest issue involved an oily residue and black particles landing on parked vehicles.
He suspects the airborne particles stemmed from the open burning of polystyrene waste.
In addition, Leslie said clogged drains recently caused flash floods that damaged his car, incurring RM700 in repairs to replace the clutch plates.
He also recalled his son killing a cobra in his house compound three years ago.
Following the incident, the family closed off parts of the drainage system around their home in an effort to prevent snakes from entering, although baby monitor lizards continued to find their way into the compound.
Council response
When contacted, MBI councillor Wong Kar Keat, who is also Nga’s political secretary for the constituency, said the city council issued notices to owners of overgrown private land to clear their lots within seven to 14 days upon receiving complaints.
He said primary responsibility for maintaining private land lay with the owner.
“If the owner fails to comply and residents lodge a complaint, MBI issues a notice requiring them to clear the lot,” he said, adding that he had forwarded recent complaints to MBI’s enforcement unit.
On overgrown trees, Wong said MBI must determine ownership before taking action.
“If the trees were planted by residents, maintenance costs must be borne by them.
“If they are council-owned trees, MBI is responsible for pruning,” he said.
Wong added that he would investigate the flash flood and airborne particle complaints, noting that landowners had informed MBI that they would clear the overgrown grass next week.
The tall grass behind Hardyal’s house.at Taman Suria Kepayang.
Cheng holding one of the branches of a tree that needs pruning at a field near his house in Taman Sunrise.
Hardyal (left) is exasperated by overgrown vegetation on vacant private land in Taman Kim Fah, fearing it has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and snakes.
Residents say clogged drains caused flash floods recently at Taman Kinta. — Courtesy photo
Peter pointing out the part of a drain that collapsed into a sinkhole in Lorong Meteor at Taman Kim Fah.
Khoo says both his neighbours have had cobras enter their houses.
Ng says the drains were built 40 years ago and cannot cope with new development.
Leslie says the latest issue is an oily residue and black particles landing on parked vehicles.
Wong says he will look into the flash flood and airborne particle complaints.
