KUALA LUMPUR: Another stormy day – and more trees are toppling over.
As rain and strong winds swept through the city, a huge tree fell in Jalan Pinang, damaging several vehicles, including a car in the Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh’s convoy – a police multi-purpose vehicle.
The tree that fell was just 600m away from Jalan Sultan Ismail, where another huge tree had fallen last week, killing a motorist and injuring two others.
Several trees were also uprooted around the city, damaging vehicles and the roof of a house.
City police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the incident in Jalan Pinang occurred at 3.26pm yesterday.
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Three cars, including the lead car of the Chief Minister’s convoy, and five motorcycles were damaged in the incident, he added.
“No casualties were reported,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Meanwhile, the City Fire and Rescue Department’s Operations Control Centre said it received several calls on fallen trees between 4.50pm and 6.13pm.
“A tree fell along Jalan Rahmah, Taman Gembira, and blocked the road there but did not cause casualties.
“Another tree also fell along Jalan Selesa 1, Taman Gembira, and damaged the roof of a house there,” it said.
It added that a tree also fell at the Universiti Malaya Medical Faculty and damaged a car.
“Another tree also fell near the Universiti Malaya Examination Building and damaged one car there. No injuries were reported,” it said, adding that work was ongoing by the department and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) personnel.
In addition to these major incidents, there was also minor chaos across various parts of Kuala Lumpur.
In Jalan Scott, Brickfields, a large tree branch obstructed part of a public walkway.
After the Jalan Awan Besar toll plaza towards Bukit Jalil, a massive tree blocked traffic.
Last Tuesday, a massive tree along Jalan Sultan Ismail toppled following a storm. One person died while two others were injured. The fallen tree blocked the busy road and also affected the KL Monorail line near its Raja Chulan station.
A DBKL spokesman said 20 staff members and contractors from various departments were immediately sent to the affected sites for clean-up operations following the storm.
The City Fire and Rescue Department also assisted in the clearing efforts.
DBKL, in a statement, said the tree that fell in Jalan Pinang was from a species called Ficus sp (Ara). It toppled near a pocket park, blocking the entire road.
Despite the severity of the storm in these areas, other parts of the Klang Valley, including Kajang, Puchong, Damansara Damai, Kepong and Putrajaya, reported no flooding.
These areas were hit by serious flash floods and traffic congestion last week.
After last week’s incident, DBKL has been ordered to take immediate action to cut down high-risk trees in the city.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said DBKL has been tasked with improving its Shade Tree Management Plan.
“DBKL must also come up with new guidelines for mature and high-risk trees by July to ensure such incidents do not recur.
“DBKL needs to fine-tune its tree replacement programme for the long-term safety and health of these trees,” she said yesterday.
