KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is expanding its use of underground flood retention ponds beneath public parks, including the Perdana Botanical Gardens and Padang Merbok, to mitigate flash floods in land-scarce areas.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the initiative is part of broader efforts to bolster the capital’s flood resilience, as acute land constraints prevent the construction of new above-ground retention lakes.
“That’s why the Parliament area was frequently flooded in the past. Now, with these on-site retention ponds, the issue will be mitigated,” she said at a climate governance forum held at Bank Negara Malaysia on Monday (Aug 3).
Yeoh highlighted that private developers have also constructed over 60 on-site retention ponds as part of mandatory planning conditions set by DBKL.
“When developers want to build, City Hall imposes a strict condition: they must construct an on-site retention pond,” she explained.
To address long-term regional flood management, Yeoh added that she intends to engage neighbouring Selangor to explore cross-border solutions.
“I am trying to arrange a meeting with the Menteri Besar of Selangor. We need to create more retention ponds together with our neighbours. We have no land, but Selangor has land, so we need to get this conversation going,” she said.
