By Amar Shah Mohsen
SHAH ALAM, July 8 — The Selangor government has rejected Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd’s (IWK) claim that it is not responsible for the Taman Sri Muda floods here.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato’ Izham Hashim acknowledged that while the company is not solely at blame for recurring floods in the area, shortcomings in its ageing sewage infrastructure contribute to the problem.
“I read the report (about IWK’s denial). While they are not the sole cause of the floods, they did contribute to it,” he told the Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
“This is because the two sewage treatment plants in Sri Muda are old. One of them doesn’t have a discharge system, meaning when water in the tank floods, sewage overflows.
“The other one does have a discharge system, but it works against the flow of water from the main drainage. It’s flowing against the current. These are some of the issues that need to be resolved.”
He was responding to a supplementary question from Kota Kemuning assemblyman S. Preakas on the recent denial by IWK that it was partly responsible for the Taman Sri Muda floods.
On June 25, IWK issued a statement denying a Media Selangor report that treated sewage discharge was the cause of floods in the area, saying an internal inspection revealed the primary cause of overflowing drains was poor maintenance of the drainage system.
This is after Zone 9 city councillor N. Ramu said the current sewage flows at two locations are among the causes of frequent floods in Taman Sri Muda. He urged IWK to expedite the diversion of sewage flow.
Izham said multipartisan mitigation efforts in flood-prone areas cannot succeed if even one agency fails to perform.
“We are coordinating with all agencies in flood hotspots to ensure they fulfil their respective roles. If they don’t, floods will persist,” he said.
Solutions in the works
On persistent floods in Taman Sri Muda, Izham said several mitigation projects are being implemented by the federal and state governments.
Among long-term efforts is the construction of the Sungai Rasau Water Treatment Plant (WTP) intake structure, which will resume this month after a lengthy delay due to a collapsed riverbank. The project is set to be done by January 2026.
Separately, preliminary works for a dual-purpose retention pond — designed for flood mitigation and as a water source — began in July last year and is being designed. The project is estimated to cost over RM661 million.
“There are two other projects in the area, with one in Sri Muda itself, which is the Sungai Klang flood mitigation project in Section 25, costing RM140.72 million. Physical works will start soon.
“There is also the second phase of the Sungai Rasau flood mitigation project, which will focus on Sungai Klang tributaries.”
Izham said the state has identified several medium-term initiatives, and has himself conducted site visits to understand local issues and pinpoint quick-win solutions.
He was responding to a question from Sijangkang assemblyman Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi about recurring floods in Sri Muda and interventions at the Sungai Rasau WTP intake.
