Waste in the way: Bags of rubbish left by the road may end up in drains in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam during a downpour. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Residents, the authorities and waste contractors have to complement each other in keeping drains rubbish-free as this will go a long way in preventing floods in residential areas.
RESIDENTS of flood-prone areas in Klang Valley say local authorities must improve drain cleaning and bulk and garden waste collection to prevent drains from clogging.
Now that the country is well into monsoon season, concerns about uncollected rubbish and debris dropping into drains and clogging them are on the list of residents’ worries.
KDEB Waste Management managing director Datuk Ramli Mohd Tahir Selangor said for Selangor drainage maintenance can either be the responsibility of the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), KDEB Waste Management (state-appointed waste collection and public cleansing service provider), local councils or Public Works Department (JKR).
Combined effort needed
Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam – one of the most crippled areas during the December 2021 floods – has been experiencing flooding incidents this year, too.
Taman Sri Muda 2 Residents Association (Section 25) chairman Mogan Thangavelu said a damaged culvert at Jalan Ikhlas 25/38 had not been fixed despite authorities being notified of the problem.
“We have informed the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) but no action has been taken.
“KDEB as well as the Fire and Rescue Department tried cleaning it but could not solve the problem.
“Overflowing drains also cause problems like potholes and contribute to hygiene issues,” Mogan said, adding that the area was nearby a primary school.
Silt and rubbish in drains, hindering water flow, are also noticeable in other roads within the housing area.
Mogan claimed that irresponsible residents, despite knowing of flood risks, had contributed to the problem over the years by dumping rubbish into drains.
“These drains are easily affected by rubbish like plastic packaging and garden waste. They should know better.”
Local councils are empowered to create bylaws under Section 73 of the Local Government Act 1976 to deal with the careless disposal of rubbish.
Based on the Collection, Removal and Disposal of Garbage Bylaws 2007, local councils can issue compounds of up to RM1,000 to those disposing of rubbish carelessly or perpetrators can be hauled to court too.
Mogan added that authorities must pay attention to flood-prone areas to ensure the situation would not worsen.
“KDEB’s schedule for bulk waste collection and drain cleaning is irregular, so waste is left for days and risk falling into drains,” Mogan claimed.
Taman Sri Muda Zone D (Jalan 25/1 to Jalan 25/25) Residents Association vice-chairman Andrew De Silva said additional manpower was needed.
“There are not enough contract workers for bulk waste collection and at times, they leave some items behind,” he said.
Andrew said drains in Taman Sri Muda’s commercial area were in need of cleaning, adding that property owners and the city council had to work together to keep them clean.
“Some of the manholes are sealed, preventing drains from being cleaned. The city council is aware but nothing has been done so the problem will probably get worse,” he added.
Remove bulk waste promptly
Pockets of bulk waste can be seen left by roads and drains in Taman Melawis, Klang. Some are packed and sealed in bags, others are haphazardly thrown around.
Resident Serjeet Singh said collection of bulk and garden waste and drain cleaning were inconsistent in his neighbourhood.
“Most drains by main roads are clean but some areas are hardly cleaned despite complaints to Klang Municipal Council (MPK),” he said, referring to an earth drain stretch behind Lorong Lintang Besi in Taman Melawis which was overgrown with weeds and filled with rubbish.
“This drain (in Taman Melawis) can cause big problems for the tidal gate pumps when it floods as it will carry all types of waste towards it,” said Serjeet, who was formerly a Water Works Department technical officer.
Serjeet: The drain in Taman Melawis can cause big problems for the tidal gate pumps when it floods as it will carry all types of wastes.
Jalan Jambu Bol Residents Association ad-hoc committee chairman ST Lim said frequent cleaning of drains and roads would help reduce incidents of drainage overflow.
Lim, who cleans the drains in front of his house periodically, said MPK and KDEB should do more for ratepayers in flood-prone areas.
“I cannot remember the last time I saw workers cleaning drains in front of my house,” said Lim, who has been a resident there for almost 50 years. He also experienced some flooding at his home last year.
“They should come more often to remove debris and dried leaves from drains. Some of the drains are about 60 years old and are damaged with plants growing in them,” said Lim.
MPK Environmental Services Department director Zaireezal Ahmad Zainuddin agreed that there was room for KDEB to improve on drain cleaning, domestic waste collection and public cleansing services.
“The perimeter drains could not be cleaned according to schedule because it covers a large area but MPK is looking into a new agreement which will reduce the area and increase logistics. This will involve more cost,” he said.
Duty duly executed
Meanwhile, Ramli told StarMetro that drainage cleaning works in Taman Sri Muda and Taman Melawis were being carried out according to schedule.
“As far as drainage cleaning in Taman Melawis and Taman Sri Muda is concerned, the regular maintenance schedule is twice a month for drains and three times a week for bulk waste collection.
“However, sometimes even when cleaned, water doesn’t flow in some drains,” he said, adding that this could be attributed to other issues affecting the drains.
“We have informed the relevant authorities in writing on our findings.”
Ramli: KDEB also provides reports to local authorities when it is unable to clean drains thoroughly due to them being damaged or covered.
He said KDEB also provided reports to local authorities when it was unable to clean drains thoroughly if they were covered or damaged.
“We have noticed that there has been a backlog in the past 12 months but this is due to manpower issues and rising operating costs.
“We also hear residents’ grouses and we have to address these shortcomings,” he said, reassuring that KDEB was ready and able to handle post-flood operations.
Ramli also pointed out that both Taman Melawis and Taman Sri Muda were situated in low-lying areas and the drainage there had not been upgraded for decades.
While being sympathetic to residents’ plight, Ramli said KDEB could not afford to bite off more than it could chew as it would affect more of its operations, referring to cleaning areas not contracted to it.
“We do as much as we can during scheduled cleaning, sometimes in areas out of our contract to oblige residents but we cannot do everything and neglect our main function because manpower and time are limited.”
Mogan checking a drain along Jalan Tekun 25/43 in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam which is filled with rubbish. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Ramli clarified that while KDEB had taken over most of the waste management in Selangor, certain roads, drains and public facilities like parks were still under the purview of other authorities.
“Take parks for example. In Klang, we tend to about 400 out of 800 parks. MPK has appointed another contractor for the rest.
“In Shah Alam, MBSA’s Landscape Department handles all parks.”
Ramli added that some roads and monsoon drains came under DID, JKR or the local council’s jurisdiction.
He nevertheless invites residents to file complaints through the iClean Selangor application or call the 1 800-88-2824 so its centralised command centre could record and monitor cases with the relevant site supervisor or channel it to the relevant authority.
Zaireezal, in response to reports received from KDEB, said MPK had taken note of damaged drains and had informed its Engineering Department.
“The Environmental Services Department also carries out checks on damaged drains and reports to the Engineering Department,” he said, adding that repairs would take at least six months to be completed due to the tender process in engaging a contractor.
MBSA, in a statement, said it had recently received two reports from KDEB which were forwarded to the relevant technical departments.
It could not confirm how many complaints were resolved.
