(From left) Leong, Peter, Choo and Chua inspecting the newly upgraded drain in New Green Park, Rawang.
AFTER over three decades of dealing with flash floods, residents in New Green Park (NGP), Rawang, can now rest easy.
A 250m stretch of drainage, which often overflowed into their homes, has been upgraded.
Rawang assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat said the project would finally resolve the long-standing flood problem.
“NGP is an old neighbourhood in a low-lying area.
“Over the years, residents had to deal with flash floods whenever it rained heavily.
“The residents used to have sleepless nights every time it rains.
The drainage built back then was unable to cope with current conditions, especially during continuous downpours,” said Chua.
He said Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) received an allocation of RM314,000 from Local Government Development Ministry in the middle of the year, and appointed a contractor to undertake the drain upgrading work.
“I hope the flash floods will be less frequent or even stop altogether,” he said, adding that at least 3,000 residents would benefit from the project.
MPS councillor Alice Choo Foong Thye first learnt about the problem from the affected residents in April.
“The project started on Sept 23.
“Chua and I visited the site to check on the progress. The drain can take more water now.
“However, we do not know for sure if the upgrading is effective until there is heavy rain,” she said.
Resident Kelvin Leong, 67, said they had suffered for over 30 years and nothing much was done by the authorities despite numerous complaints.
“I am thankful this project is finally completed,” he said.
Fellow resident, Peter Karu, 62, said he was surprised at the quick action taken by the authorities.
“I helped Choo to gather data for her report in July.
“I was expecting the project to take one or two years but it took less than six months,” he said.
Resident Vijayan Subramaniam said he was grateful for the drain upgrade and the ongoing efforts to beautify neighbourhood.