No solution yet to address KL’s flash flood issues

Partially submerged: Flash flood at the Jalan Ampang and Jalan Sultan Ismail cross junction caused massive traffic congestion. — filepic

FLASH floods are no longer seasonal and seem to be a year-round phenomenon in Kuala Lumpur.

Several major roads were submerged in the worst incident this year on Oct 1.

Hundreds of motorists were stranded after their vehicles were partially submerged in a parking lot in Jalan Pinang after heavy rain.

The downpour, which lasted 90 minutes, caused traffic in Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang to come to a standstill as the water level rose rapidly.

The pedestrian bridge at the Chan Sow Lin LRT station had to be closed.

While the blame game is still ongoing, the problem seems to have worsened with no obvious solutions.

Most experts cite poor drainage and irresponsible rubbish disposal as the culprits.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) director-general Datuk Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz cited blocked drains as a result of major development projects around Jalan Pinang and Jalan Sultan.

Unusually intense rainfall was another contributing factor as 77mm of rain fell within an hour.

The effectiveness of the RM1.9bil Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart) in flood mitigation was also questioned.

However, Drainage and Irrigation Department Malaysia director-general Datuk Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman denied that the Smart tunnel or MRT construction work was to blame.

He called on Malaysians to be more responsible as rubbish was choking rivers and drains.

Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib also cited development projects along Jalan Stonor and Jalan Conlay for the floods.

The mayor added that DBKL would take action against developers who clog drains with construction waste including suspending their projects if necessary.

The drainage will be upgraded and widened under the River of Life project to increase its capacity to accommodate flood water.