Plagued by floods

The Star, Saturday December 29, 2012

By OH ING YEEN

 

 

Aftermath: A resident checking on his belongings after moving them to a higher area when a flashflood hit the outskirts of Kajang town, affecting more than 200 houses and businesses. - filepic

 

Folks in the Kajang and Sepang municipalities will most remember 2012 for being a wet, wet, wet year. Last month’s flood in Dengkil is the worst residents have seen in many years while Kajang suffered yet another major flash flood in September after one in May. StarMetro looks back at the tough year that the residents have had.

Kajang is notorious for its flash floods such as the ones that occurred on Sept 4 and May 2 this year.

In a study by the Drainage and Irrigation Department, Kajang and Seri Kembangan were identified as hotspots for flash floods, among others.

In Kajang itself, 36 flood-prone areas had been identified including Taman Indah Jaya in Batu 14, Kampung Batu 14 in Hulu Langat, Kampung Batu 20 Sungai Lui and Kampung Batu 16 Dusun Tua.

Flash floods in Kajang were attributed to heavy rain, obstructed drainage and the high number of rivers in the district.

Among the areas, Taman Sungai Segamat was flooded in September, affecting 41 houses.

MPKj engineering department head Md Noor Mahmud, who oversees the flood mitigation task force secretariat, said there were 20 to 30 rivers and streams in Kajang, such as Sungai Jelok, Sungai Ramal, Sungai Segamat and Sungai Semenyih.

“Half of the area is catchment location for the Semenyih and Langat rivers.

“Due to rapid development, we will need to upgrade the existing retention ponds for flood mitigation,” he said.

The Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) had set up a special task force during the monsoon period and promised to clear the drains as quickly as possible to ensure flashfloods do not recur.

During the state assembly, Local Government Committee chairman Ronnie Liu pointed out that the development at near Sungai Ramal 2 and Sungai Ramal Dalam caused the rivers to overflow and flood the surrounding areas.

“The developer has been issued with notices and fines for not complying to the council rules and regulations,” he said.