SHAH ALAM, May 17 — The Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) has been urged to upgrade drainage systems in flood hotspot areas, mainly in old housing estates, to mitigate flash flood occurrences.
Meru state assemblyman Mariam Abdul Rashid said many old housing areas built more than 10 to 20 years ago still use outdated drainage systems that cannot contain the increasing water flow resulting from rapid development in surrounding areas.
Measures that require attention include deepening and widening drains, especially in areas frequently hit by floods that affect residents.
“This matter needs serious attention, especially in areas that frequently experience flash floods to the extent that water rises to residents’ homes and causes property damage.
“These old housing estates use old drainage systems, and some need to be upgraded, including being deepened and widened,” she told Media Selangor.
Mariam added that MBDK must conduct phased research in flood hotspot areas and re-evaluate the capability of drainage systems in old housing estates that are no longer suitable for current conditions.
Research should also be conducted on the records of old development projects, including housing estates approved before the One-Stop Centre system was introduced in 2009.
“Of course, the council has records of these old projects. So, they need to look at the oldest housing estates first and evaluate the condition of their drainage systems, particularly in flood hotspot areas,” she said.
Mariam noted that areas still at risk of flash floods include Pekan Meru, Taman Meru Jaya, Taman Meru Indah, Aman Perdana, and several locations near the new development project.
There are also areas that had never flooded before but have since been affected after new developments were built near the old housing estates.
“When the land for new projects is raised higher, the old housing estate areas become lower, causing water to easily overflow into residential areas.
“That is why every development must ensure it has a good retention pond system and drainage so that it does not affect nearby areas,” she said.
The assemblyman also urged related agencies, including the Irrigation and Drainage Department and the Public Works Department, to streamline the coordination of drain and drainage maintenance, especially in areas with overlapping jurisdictions.
“In the near future, the state assemblymen's offices, together with community leaders, will invite all related agencies to discuss definitive solutions involving short, medium, and long-term plans to address flood issues and the drainage system in affected areas,” Mariam said.
She explained that there are drains in several areas in Meru that are not maintained regularly due to unclear responsibilities among agencies, resulting in cleaning work being done only once.
“Related agencies must have a regular cleaning schedule and more consistent monitoring because there are clogged drains filled with garbage, causing water flow to be not smooth.
“If it rains heavily and the drains are not well-maintained, ultimately the residents will have to bear the losses when water rises to their homes,” Mariam said.
In the meantime, public awareness of cleanliness aspects and waste disposal also needs to be enhanced through campaigns involving various parties, including village heads, council members, and the youth.
“InsyaAllah (God willing), in the Meru constituency, such programmes will also be held in the near future,” she said.
