Water stagnation over after Putatan drains cleared
Published on: Tuesday, June 02, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
Another section of the same drain in being cleared by the concessionaire’s workers.
PUTATAN: The government concessionaire has cleared the water vegetation from some Putatan drains in a bid to minimise the likelihood of the water stagnating inside.This follows a complaint from a ratepayer that the drains along Jalan Access Kg Pasir Putih had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
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A spokeswoman for Globinaco Sdn Bhd said an inspection was carried out shortly after the firm became aware of the individual concerns.
“Our site-supervisor confirmed the presence of weeds and scum inside the drains,” she said.
“He also noted that there were problems with the culverts, servicing those sections of the drains near several homes there.
“This has contributed to the blockages in these areas.”
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She said the firm had since informed the Public Works Department about the culverts, so that action could be taken to address these irregularities.
“The sub-contractor, tasked with maintaining the drains, went to the site a week later.
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“His workers completed removing the vegetation and scum a few days later. It took some time to do this as the drains span a substantial distance.”
LIP of Putatan lamented the poor management of the drains along the road leading to Taman Pasir Putih Phase 5, saying that the water took a long time to recede in these structures.
“The drains are clogged with silt and a green scum has formed on the surface of the water inside,” he said.
“I suspect that the water inside stagnates during dry spells as a stench wafts into our homes from the direction of the drains.”
He said the lack of maintenance carried out on the drains did not bode well for the well-being of rate-payers there.
“I have noticed a lot of mosquitoes buzzing about while walking to my home from my car at night.
“We could very well experience a dengue outbreak, as I suspect that Aedes mosquitoes have begun breeding in the drains.”
He said this situation was further exacerbated by the dry spell in the district.
“The lack of rain has resulted in pools of still water where mosquitoes can thrive.”
Lip said Kg Pasir Putih was not the only area where he had noticed that the drains were full.
He said the water in the roadside drains along Jalan Indah Kg Ketiau also reached to the brim.
“I appeal to the local authorities to do something as soon as possible about the drainage here before a massive dengue outbreak happens.
“There is no point fogging after dengue cases are reported if preventative measures, such as dealing with the drainage problem, are not going to be implemented.”
The spokeswoman said the drains along Jalan Access Kg Pasir Putih and Jalan Indah Kg Ketiau Putatan were cleaned twice a year.
Maintenance was performed on the former drains in February and August, while the latter were attended to in May and November, according to her.
“In light of the resident’s grievance, however, we received permission from the Department to attend to Jalan Access Kg Pasir Putih even before the scheduled maintenance was due,” she said.
She said the firm was arranging to clear the roadside drains along Jalan Indah Kg Ketiau.
“The subcontractor, who looks after these drains, will commence this work once he has finished clearing these structures in another part of the district.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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