The Bohol flood retention pond land spans over 37.8ha. — Filepic
IN A win for Kuala Lumpur residents, the Federal Government has decided to cancel the proposed alienation of land surrounding the Bohol flood retention pond to a private developer.
This comes 19 months after the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Land Exco (JKTWPKL) gave conditional approval to the company to alienate 0.75ha for a housing development porject.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary Azman Abidin told StarMetro that the decision was made on May 8, after a meeting with various government agencies, following the developer’s failure to fulfil key technical requirements which were part of the conditions required for the alienation process to be successful.
The Bohol pond falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Territories Department (formerly the Federal Territories Ministry).
ALSO READ : ‘15 flood retention ponds in KL not gazetted’
“For development around flood retention ponds, there are very strict technical conditions that must be met, but it could not be fulfilled, so the project is cancelled,” Azman said.
He added that the support and endorsement of the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) was crucial for development on land near flood retention ponds.
In an exclusive report on May 8 titled “Gripped by flood fears”, StarMetro highlighted the proposed alienation of land surrounding the 37.8ha Bohol pond for a residential project consisting of affordable housing (40%) and residential condominiums (60%).
ALSO READ : Bohol land deal met with objections
The pond is gazetted as reserve land for recreation and is part of Lot 102996.
According to documents sighted, the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines Office (PTGWP) gave conditional approval to a company to alienate part of Lot 102996 for development on Oct 22, 2021.
Azman said out of the 15 main flood retention ponds in Kuala Lumpur, seven had already been gazetted.
When it was suggested that gazetting ponds alone was not going to protect the ponds from future development, unless the surrounding land areas which act as buffer zone were also preserved, Azman said: “The government plans to gazette all flood retention ponds in the city.
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“We are aware there are developers who are eyeing the land surrounding ponds and lakes; however, technical conditions set by the DID is important.”
He explained that JKTWPKL decides on government reserve land matters and would only allow the alienation if the technical conditions were fulfilled and supported by the agencies.
In an August 2022 letter, the Kuala Lumpur DID opposed development on the land as the pond was part of a RM300mil Sungai Kuyoh Basin Flood Mitigation Plan expected to start in October this year.
In an assessment report of the project, its consultants said the Bohol pond’s capacity was not big enough for excess rainwater.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said while he was unaware of the proposal to alienate part of Bohol pond land, he was looking into the matter and had been briefed by the relevant departments.
“The ministry, together with DID, is committed to resolving flood issues in Kuala Lumpur by ensuring that the basic function of flood retention ponds are maintained and any development does not happen before the gazettement process is completed.
“As such, Lot 102996 still remains as government land and has not been transferred to any individual or companies,” he said in a statement to StarMetro.
He said “approval in principle” was to allow a comprehensive study or analysis based on conditions set by DID to be carried out by the applicant while bearing related costs.
However, approval in principle was not a guarantee that the transfer of ownership would be allowed, the minister added.
Nik Nazmi said Bohol’s Technical and Design Requirements reports prepared by DID, which took into account future development and climate change, determined that the Bohol pond required 33.1ha of land for protection levels up to 200 ARI (Average Recurrence Interval).
ARI means the long-term average number of years between the occurrences of a flood as big as or larger than a selected event.
Taking this into consideration, on May 8, DID requested that the lot remain as river reserve and retention pond so the area as a whole will maintain the design requirements of Bohol pond with a storage volume of 1.28 million cubic metres. Also see letter on Page 6 by NGO calling for better management of retention ponds.
