Earth dug up for the monsoon drain installation project being washed away by rainwater.
RESIDENTS of Taman Eng An in Menglembu, Ipoh, Perak, are up in arms over the poor implementation of a monsoon drain project in their area.
The earth-digging work conducted in an alley there has damaged an existing drain located next to a house, causing the soil there to be exposed to the elements.
Affected house owner Ng Choon Hooi, 53, said another part of the same drain was also showing signs of sinking.
“As the soil is being washed away by the rain, I fear the ground beneath my house will give way.
“There is another part of the drain that has already sunk by about 5cm.
“There are no signs of cracks on my house wall, but if more soil erodes, I am worried my house could collapse,” the businessman said when met.
Petrol kiosk dealer Ng Mun Hooe, 49, is also worried that the soil erosion at the damaged drains would cause the underground petrol tanks at his premises to shift.
“If the tank moves, it can cause the connecting pipes to break and petrol will leak into the ground, causing an environmental disaster.
“I have three of these underground tanks located near the project site.
“I am also worried the earth- digging work will have an impact on my building,” he added.
Former sales manager David Choong, 64, who lives in a house behind Ng’s, expressed concern about the way the project was being carried out.
Ng showing the exposed soil and gap under his house in Taman Eng An.
He said there was no proper hoarding and this was causing the existing drains to be damaged.
“The contractor should have put up proper mitigation measures to prevent soil erosion.
“They should also cover up the dug-up area so that rain will not wash away the soil, especially since it has been raining the past few days,” he said, adding that the project started in August.
“The whole alley turns into a ‘river’ during a downpour.
“The contractor should also ensure that the existing drains are not clogged to allow water to flow smoothly,” he added.
Choong was also unsure whether the project would succeed in alleviating flash floods.
Floods have been plaguing the area for the last 20 years.
“Our houses are on low-lying area and water from several other areas upstream, including those from higher ground, would flow through this area.
“There is also an existing monsoon drain near my house that is almost filled with sediment, which makes it easy for it to overflow and inundate our homes,” he said, adding that there were about 14 houses in the area.
“I hope Ipoh City Council will also do something about the other damaged or clogged drains upstream,” he added.
Another resident Gurdip Singh hoped the city council would rectify all the issues that has been raised by the folk there.
“I hope the contractor will follow the standard operating procedures,” said Gurdip.
“They should have put up sheet piles before they dug up the alley,” he said, adding that the residential area would usually be inundated after about 30 minutes of heavy rainfall.
“We do not want our lives to be put at risk because of some shoddy work,” he added.
Ipoh mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said the contractor had been instructed to take immediate action to rectify the issues raised by the residents.
“We have also asked the contractor to expedite the installation work and to ensure no more soil would be exposed from the digging work,” he said, adding that the whole project was expected to be completed in the next few weeks.
