A boy walking on the collapsed water retention pond bund in Taman Seri Alam. — Filepic
A RETAINING wall will be built to reinforce the ongoing stabilisation works at the broken water retention pond bund near Taman Seri Alam, Sungai Buloh.
According to Selangor infrastructure and agricultural committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim, this is among measures to ensure the bund does not break and cause flooding again.
“The construction of a retaining wall will replace the sheet piles used to stabilise the bund.
“Also in the plan is to desilt the pool to deepen it and upgrade the drains in the area.
“The idea is to make sure that the water level in the pond does not exceed 2m,” he said after meeting the residents and representatives of the developer and Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).
He added that the state government and Selangor DID would discuss with the developer to finalise the design and material before starting work on the wall.
The bund broke on Dec 29, sending a torrent of water that flooded an estimated 200 homes, of which 100 suffered significant damage. This was the second such incident, with the first occurring in 2015.
Izham said the pond, built in 2015 based on a rubber wall design, was meant to only hold water up to 2m deep but had exceeded its capacity when the bund collapsed.
“It was built by a property developer, alongside five other water retention ponds in the area.
“All the pools are all still maintained by the developer, as their project is still ongoing,” he said.
Following the incident, Izham said the priority was to stabilise the bund.
“The developer has installed sheet piles, which are only temporary measures to ensure that the water does not flow into the housing area when the water level rises,” he added.
At the meeting, many residents had wanted authorities to close the pond to prevent future flash floods
However, Izham said closing the retention pond was not an option.
“Closing the water retention pond permanently would cause floods in the neighbourhood, as the houses are located in a low-lying area.
“The water retention pond is needed, but perhaps the design needs to be reconsidered.
“Although the pond is still under the developer, which will bear all the repair works, the state is monitoring it closely,” he assured.
Izham also said the state was evaluating appropriate assistance to offer to the affected residents.
