Local authorities urged to maintain drains, identify hotspots, improve early-warning systems
Flash floods that struck several parts of the Klang Valley a few days ago highlight the vulnerability of urban towns and suburban communities to heavy rainfall.
Selangor MCA state liaison committee deputy chairman and urban affairs bureau chairman Tan Gim Tuan said the floods incidents reinforced the urgency of improving drainage and flood mitigation infrastructure, particularly in established townships and residential areas.
“The flash floods a few days ago affected areas including Denai Alam, Puncak Alam, Sungai Buloh, Saujana Utama, Subang, Damansara Uptown, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) and Bukit Jalil.
“Flooding along the Federal Highway near Amcorp Mall disrupted traffic, while Kampung Melayu Subang was badly affected, with about 92 houses flooded and water reaching waist level,” he pointed out.
Tan said local authorities needed to regularly maintain and upgrade drainage and irrigation systems, identify flood-prone locations and strengthen early-warning and emergency response mechanisms.
He said local authorities were equally responsible, because poor town planning and indiscriminate development approvals made matters worse.
“At the same time, people must not litter or throw rubbish indiscriminately into drains and at public spaces.
“Everyone needs to cultivate the habit of disposing waste into designated bins, to prevent clogged drains.
“Protecting lives and property is not merely a policy commitment.
“It is a duty of care that public authorities are legally and morally obliged to fulfil, complemented by responsible public behaviour,” he added in his media statement.
Tan cited Shah Alam High Court’s landmark ruling holding the government and relevant public authorities liable for negligence over the Taman Sri Muda floods in December 2021.
“The ruling is an affirmation that public authorities cannot evade accountability when failures in discharging their responsibilities cause harm to the public.
“Judicial Commissioner Shoba Rajah Dorai Rajah said the plaintiffs established a foreseeable duty of care arising from the authorities’ operational functions and disaster management responsibilities.
“The court’s rejection of the ‘act of God’ defence further reinforces that extreme rainfall does not absolve authorities of their responsibilities.
“The ruling also highlights that the responsibilities of government agencies and local authorities are complementary, not interchangeable.
“Each authority must properly discharge its respective statutory and operational obligations, rather than shift responsibility to another agency,” Tan emphasised.
