Mohamad Fazli (third from left) inspecting the condition of a drain in Taman Daya, Johor Baru. — Courtesy photo
Efforts to clear blockages taking place in JB, Kulai, Pontian, Kluang and Batu Pahat
THE special operation launched by Johor government to clean drains and ditches in the state, dubbed “Ops Longkang and Parit”, is being expanded to Kluang and Batu Pahat.
State works, transportation, infrastructure and communication committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the operation kicked off in Johor Baru in July before covering Pontian and Kulai last week.
“Johor Baru is a big district as it encompasses three local councils: Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) and Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG).
“Ops Longkang and Parit is still ongoing in Johor Baru district as it is our focus area due to the many developments taking place here.
“We expanded it to Pontian and Kulai starting Sept 1, before moving on to Kluang and Batu Pahat,” he told StarMetro when contacted.
Mohamad Fazli, who is also Bukit Pasir assemblyman, said that upon inspecting the cleaning efforts in Johor Baru, he found instances where drains were cleaned only twice a year.
“The reason the concessionaire carries out the cleaning work only every six months is that it is stipulated under their contract, either with the local councils or other related agencies.
“However, the change in weather patterns, with more frequent thunderstorms and the increase in population means it is no longer feasible to clean the drains just twice a year.
“We will review the contract to make sure the concessionaire carries out more frequent cleaning work,” said Mohamad Fazli.
He said the state government would ask local councils and other related agencies such as the Public Works Department (JKR) to work together in taking care of drains and ditches.
Developers must also ensure they immediately hand over the drains under their areas to local councils, he said.
“We know that some development projects, particularly housing, have different phases.
“These developers should hand over the drainage system to the respective local councils once they complete the first phase.
“This will help the councils to carry out immediate checks on the drainage if a flash flood occurs in the area being developed,” said Mohamad Fazli.
He also reminded the public, in particular street vendors, not to throw rubbish into drains.
