AMPANG, Nov 15 – The ownership status of nearly 700 flood retention ponds in Selangor is being reviewed to ensure that each has a designated party responsible for its maintenance.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato’ Izham Hashim said preliminary information indicates nearly 200 of these ponds fall under the purview of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), while the remainder are the responsibility of developers, including those with no clear management entity yet established.
“Efforts are underway to identify the owners or parties responsible for various drainage facilities, including ditches, drains, and retention ponds, so that maintenance management can be better coordinated.
“Among the approaches being considered is handing over the responsibility for maintaining the facilities in question to the local authorities (PBT) or the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to ensure more effective management,” he said.
He said this after attending the MADANI Kita Pandan 2026 programme at the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) hall in Pandan Indah yesterday.
Izham said flood retention ponds that remain under developers' responsibility, particularly in incomplete development projects, have also been identified as a factor contributing to flooding and siltation issues.
Consequently, continuous monitoring is underway to ensure compliance with flood management and silt control requirements; strict action will be taken if any violations occur.
In another development, Izham added that 185 retention ponds and lakes, which currently operate independently and lack integrated management, will be linked to the river system.
He explained that this measure aims to improve water-flow management and the drainage system’s capacity to address flood risks, while also ensuring that runoff is channelled more systematically into the river system.
Izham also said dam water levels will be reduced in stages to 30 per cent by this coming October, creating additional storage capacity and preventing overflow.
