Yee (right) and Doraisamy checking the condition of the monsoon drain along Jalan Pinggiran 3/4, Taman Pinggiran Batu Caves, finding it clogged with sediment.
Houses affected after recurring landslides damage monsoon drain
LANDSLIDES have damaged the wall of a monsoon drain along Jalan Pinggiran 3/4, Taman Pinggiran Batu Caves in Selangor, resulting in frequent flash floods in the area.
A resident here said floods had affected houses in the area six times from October to December last year.
“Landslides have repeatedly occurred on a 3m high slope on Jalan Pinggiran 3/4, which is adjacent to Jalan Pinggiran 3/3, during the rainy season.
“The trees and soil brought down by the landslide have damaged the wall of the monsoon drain, causing it to collapse.
“The debris then clogs the drain, causing water to flow back into the perimeter drains outside the houses,” said resident Doraisamy Muthusamy, 77.
“The latest landslide, which caused the subsequent floods, took place on Oct 3 last year.
“The slope is still not fixed yet,” he added.
During a site visit on Jan 2, StarMetro found that water in the monsoon drain was stagnant because of sediment.
The wall of the monsoon drain was also in bad condition.
Doraisamy said the 13 houses along Jalan Pinggiran 3/3 were built about 0.6m lower than the monsoon drain and road, making them more prone to flooding.
“This is a structural issue created by Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) and the developer,” he added.
He lamented that the problem had yet to be resolved despite complaints lodged with MPS, the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and Gombak parliamentary constituency service centre.
“MPS visited the site in December last year but there has been no action since.
“The council referred me to DID when I went to check the status of the issue.
“However, DID told me that it had used up its budget allocated for last year, and had to wait until around mid-January for this year’s budget before any action could be taken,” he said.
Doraisamy urged the authorities to clean the monsoon drain to reduce the risk of floods.
Also present during the site visit was community activist Yee Poh Ping, who called on the authorities to “change their attitude” to uphold the residents’ living standards.
“The residents have been suffering from floods but there seems to be no willingness among the authorities to solve the problem.
“The slope and monsoon drain are covered in vegetation, showing that they haven’t been maintained properly for a long time.
“The drain’s capacity will be reduced when debris and soil fall into it, increasing the risk of flooding.
“The authorities must stop trying to pass off to other agencies the responsibility for solving the issue,” he added.
MPS has not responded to queries as of press time.
