KULAI Municipal Council (MPKu) is looking at several options to manage flash floods within its area of jurisdiction, including a flood mitigation project.
Its president Muhammad Shahril Azizi Abd Gapar said the council needed to study factors contributing to the issue before implementing long-term solutions.
Among the contributing factors, he said, were inadequate and outdated drainage systems, indiscriminate waste disposal and clogged waterways, as well as the presence of squatters and illegal structures.
Muhammad Shahril said flooding was not solely a council matter, as it also involved other agencies, such as the Public Works Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department and private developers.
“We could use the on-site detention system and catchment ponds as strategies to manage flash floods in hotspots,” he told reporters after chairing the MPKu full board meeting at Menara MPKu in Kulai.
Muhammad Shahril said continuous heavy rain had triggered two flash floods in Kulai district within a single week last month.
“A developer’s pond embankment burst near Kampung Separa Bandar Putra, worsening the situation,” he added.
The first flash flood, he said, occurred on Sept 22, followed by the second one on Sept 25, affecting 14 and 25 houses respectively.
Affected areas were Batu 19, Jalan Besar in Kulai Besar opposite the Kulai Area Farmers’ Organisation, Persiaran Indahpura 4 in Kampung Jaya Sepakat and Kampung Pertanian.
Others were Kampung Separa, Jalan TJ Mart, Jalan Persiaran Indahpura 3 and Jalan Persiaran Indahpura 4.
“These locations have never been hit by flash floods before,’’ added Muhammad Shahril.
