KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Almost 500 tonnes of waste had been cleared as at 2pm today under a mega cleanup in Taman Putra Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, after the April 1 Putra Heights gas pipeline explosion.
KDEB Waste Management (KDEBWM) managing director Datuk Ramli Mohd Tahir would be higher when the operation ends this evening.
“Yesterday alone, 120 tonnes of waste were cleared, and we expect the figure to increase. We have been conducting clean-up work since the third day of the incident (April 3) and estimate the total waste collected to reach 500 tonnes.
“However, this figure does not include soil and sand that were also removed,” he told Bernama at the site today.
He said apart from wastes and dried leaves, the operation also involved cutting down burnt and dead trees, which were then ground using specialised machinery and sent to disposal sites.
Ramli added that KDEBWM had previously removed sand from affected roads and medians.
Roll-on-roll-off bins were also placed at the end of every residential street to facilitate the disposal of damaged household items, he said.
According to him, if the cleanup cannot be completed today, KDEBWM will discuss the possibility of extending the operation with local authorities.
Taman Putra Harmoni resident Nor Azlina Arifin, 52, expressed her gratitude to all agencies and volunteers involved in the mega operation, describing the effort as a huge relief for residents.
“The cleanup, especially the removal of dead trees that posed a risk to homes, has been a great help. My house roof was damaged by flying debris during the incident,” said Nor Azlina, who is currently staying with her family at a nearby boutique hotel.
The two-day operation involved more than 4,000 volunteers from over 20 government agencies, private entities and non-governmental organisations deployed across 12 zones in Taman Putra Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.
The fire, which broke out on April 1 at 8.10am, saw flames soaring over 30m, with temperatures exceeding 1,000℃. It took nearly eight hours to extinguish.
— Bernama
