Sore sight: Rubbish and waste dumped in drains such as this one along Jalan Papan in Pandamaran, Port Klang, result in frequent flooding in the city. — KK SHAM/The Star
KLANG: Residents here agree with the criticism by the Sultan of Selangor against the state government and Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) over the lack of cleanliness and constant flood problems.
Pandamaran New Village resident Tan Wei Lun, 25, said both the state government and MBDK deserved the tongue lashing from Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
“Very very good as they deserved it,” he added.
He said his house would be flooded even though the rain was not heavy.
“When it rains, dirty water from the clogged drains will flow into my house and the entire area will be flooded,” said Tan, who would send a complaint to MBDK every time it flooded.
Palm Grove resident Subhash Kumaran, 60, said it would take just 30 minutes of rain for his house to be flooded.
He was told at meetings with the relevant government agencies that a clogged drain was one of the reasons for the floods.
“It seems that a nearby mall was built over a big ‘zig zag’ drain which cleaners cannot access.
“Now the plan is to acquire nearby plot of land to divert the drain,” said Subhash, who acts as a deputy Rukun Tetangga chairman of his housing estate.
In his Royal Address at the inauguration of the new Masjid Jamek Cina Muslim Klang last week, Sultan Sharafuddin said he was saddened that many places in the royal city were poorly managed and the Klang River was also filled with garbage.
Sultan Sharafuddin ordered both MBDK and the Selangor government to immediately initiate measures to overcome the constant flooding without making any excuses.
Sultan Sharafuddin’s disdain was indeed justified as visits to several spots in the city revealed garbage that was overgrown by weeds.
When contacted, state executive councillor in charge of local councils Datuk Ng Suee Lim said a meeting was held immediately after Sultan Sharafuddin issued the order.
“The entire exco team and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari discussed the matter at length as well as looked into every possible solution to overcome the issues.
“We will also be meeting all the relevant agencies and the Klang mayor,” he added.
Klang Mayor Abd Hamid Hussain was sworn in on Dec 2 to replace Datin Paduka Noraini Roslan who retired on Nov 20.
Ng said the state government would also peruse the criteria stipulated in the contract with KDEB Waste Management (KDEB) on domestic waste collection.
KDEB, which is owned by the Selangor government, was appointed to collect and manage domestic waste in the state in 2016.“Perhaps there is a need for extra budget and the frequency of garbage collection be increased.
“But most importantly, since Klang has been upgraded to a city, the residents must also ‘upgrade’ their mentality and refrain from throwing rubbish indiscriminately,” he added.
Selangor executive councillor in charge of infrastructure Izham Hashim said major flood mitigation plans managed by both the state and federal governments costing RM37bil was now underway in Selangor.
“They will take about three to four years to be completed and we are currently upgrading existing infrastructure to mitigate and minimise the impact of floods,” he added.
Izham said short-term measures were also being carried out to manage the drainage system as well as diverting water flow as the Klang River does not have the capacity to handle excessive rainfall.
Both Ng and Izham said they would obey the orders issued by Sultan Sharafuddin and carry out the work to mitigate the problem of rubbish and floods in the state.
MBDK Environmental Services Department director Zaireezal Ahmad Zainuddin said the council would increase its operations to deal with indiscriminate dumping of rubbish.
