The picturesque Lake Fields pond is a popular hangout for residents. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
The draft Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 (KLLP2040) has seen the status of some land parcels being changed to accommodate development.
While it’s not uncommon to see changes being made, some alterations do cause concern among people in the surrounding areas.
A group of residents in Sungai Besi are objecting to a change in land use for a pond in Lake Fields from River, Drain, Lake and Retention Pond to Infrastructure and Utilities under KLLP2040.
Residents want the pond to stay the same, as they say it is crucial for flood mitigation.
“This proposal threatens the Lake Fields retention pond function, potentially leading to increased flood risks and environmental damage,” said Lake Fields Grove resident Chua Eng Tee.
He added that the retention pond acted as a critical buffer, absorbing excess rainfall.
Chua says the draft KLLP2040 proposes significant changes to land use at the pond.
Malaysian Institute of Architects past president Sarly Adre Sarkum agreed that a change could significantly impact flood management and urban resilience in Kuala Lumpur.
“While this reclassification may support the development of essential infrastructure, it risks undermining the pond’s critical role in mitigating floods, managing stormwater and maintaining water quality.
“Careful planning and implementation of alternative flood control measures will be necessary to prevent increased flood risks and preserve environmental sustainability.
“This approach ensures that the benefits of new infrastructure do not come at the cost of increased vulnerability to flooding and ecological degradation,” he said.
Sarly says the change in land use can impact flood management in Kuala Lumpur.
Similarly, former Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) engineer Balachandran Naicker maintains that all flood retention ponds or lakes should be gazetted as a “special reserve”.
“They must not be lumped under Infrastructure and Utilities as it will then be very easy to add other infrastructure to the area reserved as a flood retention pond, disturbing the drainage pattern there and causing a potential reduction in its flood retention capacity.
“For too long, flood retention ponds or lakes have been disturbed purportedly to enable or facilitate further development in the area, reducing the critical flood mitigation roles these ponds or lakes play,” he added.
The water body, known as Damai Lake Fields Sungai Besi flood retention pond, is under the jurisdiction of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Balachandran maintains that all flood retention ponds be gazetted as a special reserve.
It is about 3.61ha and located adjacent to Lake Fields, which has several high-end gated and guarded residential housing estates built 10 years ago on former tin mining land.
Last year, it was learnt that a developer, who owns a tract of land near the pond, had received a development order from DBKL to build high-rises.
Phase 1 of the project comprises 1,186 units of affordable housing under Malaysia Civil Servants Housing Programme (PPAM) and Residensi Wilayah programme for first-time homebuyers from low and middle-income groups.
Phase 2 consists of 1,183 condominium units, along with a carpark and other facilities.
The project is expected to have an estimated gross development value of RM1bil.
The developer also plans to build two single-lane bridges over the retention pond to the proposed high-rise project on its 4.78ha plot of land identified as Lot 103675.
The RM30mil 160m bridge will provide direct access to the project from the existing road that serves development parcels around the pond.
Residents are also against the building of a bridge as they fear it will affect the effectiveness of the pond.Chua argues that Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 (KLSP2040) identified Lake Fields pond as a natural asset and a crucial flood retention area.
Another resident from Lake Fields Dale, Kevin Ang, highlights that trees would have to be felled to facilitate the bridge construction.
“They will have to cut down trees that are crucial for shade, and the road reserves will have to change too,” he said.
Raj MG, a resident from nearby Lake Fields Meadows, said he bought his property because of the lake and surrounding greenery.
“I enjoy coming here for walks in the evenings,” he said, adding that he fears the impending development would change the environment.
Chua said building the bridge would set a potential precedent as complex developments such as transport facilities and residential housing would be allowed to be built around or near flood retention ponds, giving developers a chance to obtain planning permission for projects more easily.
Based on documents sighted by StarMetro, DBKL has determined that the bridge is the only access to the high-rise development.
Additionally, based on conditions in the development order, the bridge must be completed as required by the authorities before work commences on Lot 103675.
An artist’s impression of the proposed project on Lot 103675 and bridge leading up to it.
Expanding pond as buffer
Lim Seong Hai Capital Bhd, the project’s developer, believes that the residents have misunderstood its intentions.
“People say that we are encroaching onto the pond, but in reality, we are expanding it to make it bigger,” said its non-executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Keng Cheng.
“Under the Third Alteration (Part 2) of KLLP2020, DBKL has increased the density of the area, so we have been asked to set a 6m buffer from our land to expand it.
“We were asked to provide a jogging path to give the public access to the pond,” he said, adding that current access was too steep, so DBKL requested the developer make it safer.
Lim added that it would beautify and rejuvenate the landscape surrounding the lake.
Lim says his team reached out to residents for an engagement session on May 31.
The pedestrian walkway, he said, would be extended from its existing 604m length to 1,198m.
This will include a suspended walkway on both sides of the bridge for locals to enjoy walking above the water body.
Lim said his team reached out to residents for an engagement session on May 31, but the residents called it off.
“We still want to engage with them and explain exactly what we are going to do.
“We aim to make things much better with a beautiful walkway with plants, built along the bridge,” he said.
According to Lim, construction of the bridge would take a year to complete and would not affect the function and capacity of the pond.
“The pond was never gazetted as a flood retention pond and we even received written confirmation from DID that the pond, which is part of Sungai Kuyoh flood mitigation project, will not be affected by our project.”
He added that since the area was landlocked and the two other alternative roads to the site were under a strata title, building the bridge was the only option available.
Adjacent to this project area is the Sungai Besi Army Camp.
Lim said the company was committed to ensuring that construction of the bridge would not affect the function and capacity of the pond and that preventive measures such as silt traps, slope protection, wash-through and innovative fast precast construction methods were aimed at minimising impact during construction.
“If the pond were filled up using embankment, it would reduce the pond’s capacity.
“In contrast, building a bridge would only require the columns to have contact with the water in the pond and the impact of these columns, in relation to the entire pond’s size, is negligible,” he added.
On flooding, Lim explained that it had done a 200-year average recurrence interval (ARI) analysis, where the highest water level during such an extraordinary occurrence would still be 1.963m lower than the existing house and road level surrounding the pond.
ARI describes how often a flood of a certain size is likely to happen.
So a 200-year ARI means that a flood of that size is expected to occur once every 200 years on average.
This helps engineers plan and design structures to handle potential flood risks.
“In terms of volume, upon completion of the project, the pond will have a capacity of 83,116 cubic metres, an excess of 27,186 cubic metres, or 48% more than the required ARI 200-year capacity,” Lim said.
“As such, we do not anticipate any flooding risk.
“However, we will have water pumps on standby.
“We will constantly monitor and maintain water inlets and outlets to ensure the functionality of the pond.
“Furthermore, the development will feature a 50m buffer between the army camp’s boundary and the building, with trees planted in this area.
“This will attract wildlife such as birds, insects and other mammals, like squirrels,” he added.
The construction of the bridge is set to start soon.
A recent site visit revealed that the area had been cordoned off and a development board with an artist’s impression had been placed there.
