BLOCKED drains and manholes are once again being blamed for flash floods during heavy rain at the Prima Setapak commercial area in Kuala Lumpur.
A major upgrade and works by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2021 were supposed to have put an end to flash floods at the site.
The works included cleaning drains, demolishing illegal back lane structures and resurfacing roads, which StarMetro previously reported.
Charmaine Chen, whose salon is located on Jalan Prima Setapak 3, said drains in the area were once again clogged and had stagnant water.
“A few months ago, there was a flash flood and water flowed into my shop.
“After the water receded, there were a lot of rats and cockroaches, both alive and dead.
“That really affected my business,” she said.
Stationery shop operator Christine Chong said the area would flood if it rained heavily for about an hour.
“The drainage problem is serious and requires the authorities’ attention,” she stressed.
Representing the business operators was community activist Andre Lai, who called for a comprehensive solution.
“DBKL started resurfacing roads in the area in the first week of August.
“It has also repaired some of the broken drain covers.
“However, works to repair and upgrade the drains have not started,” he said.
According to business owners in the area, the clogged manholes have led to backed up toilets and foul odour, further affecting their businesses.
Restaurant operator Sharon Tan, whose eatery is also on Jalan Prima Setapak 3, said she had been having problems since she took over the business in February last year.
“Initially, I thought my toilets were problematic, but the issue persisted after I changed them.
“In April last year, I sought help from Indah Water Konsor-tium (IWK) staff, who helped clean two manholes in the side lane adjacent to my restaurant.
“A lot of grease and sediment was removed. However, the issue persists.
“When I checked with the IWK staff, they identified the source as blockage in the main manhole on Jalan Prima Setapak 4, which sees water overflowing onto the road during heavy rain.”
Chen, whose shop is also affected by bad odour from clogged toilets, said she has to use air fresheners to counter it.
In a statement to StarMetro, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) said it had rectified a blocked sewer on Jalan Prima Setapak 3 on July 20 following a complaint by DBKL.
“On the same day, IWK received another complaint from the same location.
“An inspection on July 21 confirmed that the public sewer system was operating under normal conditions, with wastewater flowing smoothly.
“Further checks indicated that the reported issue was related to blockage involving the toilet bowl in one of the private premises, which falls outside the public sewerage system,” it said.
DBKL had not responded to queries at press time.
