DEVELOPERS, LOCAL COUNCILS NEED TO HASH OUT FLOOD ISSUES, SAY BANDAR BUKIT RAJA FOLK

SHAH ALAM: Residents of Bandar Bukit Raja in Klang have called on the Selangor government to coordinate its local councils and property developers in addressing flood and drainage issues in the area.

A memorandum signed by some 583 residents across 48 residents’ associations was submitted to the menteri besar’s office today by their delegate Zulkifli Othman.

“I really hope that all relevant government agencies, statutory bodies involved in housing development, including the city councils of Klang and Shah Alam and the irrigation and drainage department, as well as developers can sit together to address these concerns of ours,” Zulkifli told reporters after handing over the memorandum.

The memorandum said that local councils and developers shift the blame whenever floods occur – a situation Zulkfli said could only be resolved with the intervention of menteri besar Amirudin Shari.

He said the drainage systems in the affected areas need improvement, and that the four shallow flood retention ponds available are “insufficient to effectively mitigate flooding”.

Zulkifli, who is president of the Bandar Bukit Raja Klang residents’ chairmen coalition, said an inter-council approach was necessary since water flows from Setia Alam in Shah Alam to Bandar Bukit Raja, and both locations fall under separate local councils.

He said a similar memorandum was sent to Klang MP V Ganabatirau, who had pledged to raise the matter in Parliament.

Bandar Bukit Raja has been hit by flash floods multiple times. The most severe flood occurred in December 2021, when water levels reached a height of 3m.

The latest flash flood in the area was on April 24 this year, when floodwaters reached a foot high.

Many requests have been made to the state government, including for the expansion and deepening of Sungai Puloh to increase its water-holding capacity and ensure that water does not spill over when the area is hit by heavy rain.

There have also been calls for the government to build a flood retention pond near Sungai Puloh.

2024-05-24T03:46:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd