The Star, Wednesday March 7, 2012

Residents claim housing development nearby affecting stability of slope

RESIDENTS of Taman Sri Timah, Balakong, are concerned that a housing development in the area may be affecting the stability of a slope on which a reservoir was built.

Serdang parliamentary constituency coordinator Datuk Yap Pian Hon, who visited the site after receiving complaints, said the ongoing earthwork had made the slope too steep.

He said the consequences were unimaginable if the exposed part of the slope caved in.

“We are not against development but it must not be at the expense of damaging public amenities,” he said, adding that he had written to the Kajang Municipal Council to find out if the developer had followed all the safety specifications,” he added.

He said any damage to the reservoir would have a huge impact as it was the main source of water supply to 414 households in Taman Sri Timah.

Fragile: (from left) Taman Sri Timah MIC Youth chairman Maganderan Rethinasamy, Yap, Sanmugam, Mohd Zali and Dr Lai inspecting the earthwork of a project that may be affecting the stability of a slope nearby.

 

He added that the water supply to the area had not been satisfactory, too.

“The local authority must come out with a solution to stabilise this eroding slope soon and explain why the residents are deprived of satisfactory water supply all these years,” he said.

Serdang MCA division chairman Datuk Dr Lai Kwong Choy said the developer should also address the area’s flooding and parking problems partly contributed by the project.

“Jalan Persiaran Sri Timah, which is the main road in the housing estate, is often hit by floods ever since the project began.

“The road is always congested with cars of condominium owners parked on both sides of the road. The development will worsen the situation when it is ready,” he said.

Taman Sri Timah Umno chairman Mohd Zali Ab Kadir said he was surprised that the council had allowed the earthwork to go on without any retention wall built to prevent soil erosion.

“The developer has also promised to build a sludge settling basin but where is it?

“It floods every time it rains and residents are stranded for at least an hour,” he said.

Taman Sri Timah MIC chief P. Kanapathy also urged the authorities to act fast as any untoward incident could affect the lives of children studying at a kindergarten situated near the slope.

The development, which involves the construction of 107 houses, is scheduled to be completed in July.

Yap, who is also Selangor MCA publicity chief, said he was confident that MCA could wrestle back the Balakong state seat.

He said the statement made by Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok showed that she was unaware of the change in the rakyat’s preference as many had expressed dissatisfaction over the current administration’s performance in the past four years.

“From waste collection and cleanliness of public places to dengue problems, the current administration has not been able to handle these issues well,” he said.

He said he was bewildered that Kok complained about having 6,000 additional voters in Balakong.

“Haven’t they been registering new voters aggressively? Why are they complaining?

“After all, there are still one million unregistered voters in Selangor,” he said.

KYK Development project manager Wee Kiat Hun said the developer had taken the necessary measures to prevent soil erosion, under close monitoring by the council.

“The slope looks steep if you view it from the top, the gradient is actually only about 45 degree, it is safe,” he said.

Resident Sanmugam Doraisamy said the sight of the exposed steep slope near the project site gave him sleepless nights, adding that the developer had not attended to the matter despite his many complaints.