SHAH ALAM, Nov 7 — The Selangor Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) will carry out dredging works along Sungai Pelempas in the near future to increase its capacity and reduce flood risks in Kampung Melayu Subang.
The department said the quick win measure is part of its short-term mitigation efforts while awaiting the implementation of the Sungai Pelempas flood mitigation project, which is scheduled to begin next year, Harian Metro reported.
JPS said it has also provided higher-capacity pumps at Jalan Resak, increasing the capacity from 140 litres per second (l/s) to 280 l/s, while the pump at Jalan Ikhlas has a capacity of 280 l/s.
“We have installed flap gates at drainage outlets connecting internal drains and ditches within privately owned lots to rivers to prevent backflow from rivers into the internal drainage system.
“We have also identified locations for immediate flood mitigation works, including the construction of flood walls at areas prone to river overflow from Sungai Pelumut, as well as potential sites for retention ponds and the widening of Sungai Pelempas.
“Under the Sungai Damansara flood mitigation project, JPS will also widen and deepen the downstream stretch of Sungai Damansara and remove obstructing structures within the river,” it said, according to the local daily.
Earlier, Selangor JPS said it had installed additional pumps at Jalan Resak and Desa Subang Perantau, Kampung Melayu Subang, to reduce flooding in both areas while awaiting the Sungai Pelempas project next year.
The department said the existing pump at Jalan Resak had been replaced with a new, higher-capacity unit, while the original pump was relocated to Desa Subang Perantau. This means the latter now has two pumps to help discharge water into Sungai Pelempas.
It said the measures were part of its short-term mitigation efforts to drain water from the internal drainage system and manage river overflow, should it occur.
“Following assessments of the floods on November 2 and 4, which recorded rainfall exceeding 100mm, we found that a higher-capacity pump was needed at Jalan Resak.
“This is particularly important because water from the internal drainage system flows into a retention pond at Jalan Resak before it can be channelled into Sungai Pelempas. As a result, we replaced the pump at Jalan Resak with a new unit with a capacity of 280 l/s.
“Desa Subang Perantau (Jalan Ikhlas), which is located downstream, requires more pumping capacity due to the higher risk of backwater overflow from the Kampung Baru Subang Bridge in the area,” it said.
Selangor JPS added that the main reason floodwaters took longer to recede in both areas was the exceptionally heavy rainfall, with more than 60mm recorded. Rainfall reached 116.5mm on November 2 and 91.5mm on November 4.
“The high water level in Sungai Pelempas made it difficult for water from the internal drainage system to flow into the river. Therefore, we have provided pumps to facilitate the process.
“In addition, the affected areas are low-lying, with limited and poorly organised internal drainage systems,” it said.
