'Haphazard Manggatal drain clearing work'
Published on: Monday, August 03, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
Most of the sediment dredged up from this Manggatal drain has fallen back inside.
A Manggatal ratepayer has voiced his displeasure about the haphazard manner in which a drain behind his house was cleared recently.ALOYSIUS, who lives in Taman Sepanggar Phase 2, said an excavator was seen in the middle of July de-silting the drain and removing the weeds which had sprung up on the reserve land on either side of the structure.
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“The piles of sediment have not been removed in the weeks since, but the machinery and workers tasked with attending to the drain have long since left,” he said.
Given the heavy rains which the State Capital has been experiencing off late, he said much of the soil had since fallen back into the structure.
“I fear that this muck will contribute to the siltation in the drain and cause it to overflow when it rains heavily.
“It is pointless to spend money to hire an excavator and engage workers to clean the structure if it is only going to be blocked again so quickly.”
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Aloysius was at a loss to understand how the local authorities could have turned a blind eye to this situation.
An excavator desilted the drain recently.
“The agency which approved this work should ensure that the contractor appointed to do the work doesn’t get away with doing a half-hearted job.”
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He said the compounds of those houses near the drain, including his, had a tendency to flood during a downpour.
The ratepayer said another property owner in the area had reported this problem to City Hall earlier this year.
“My neighbour was unhappy about the lack of maintenance carried out on the drain as it was full of water vegetation.
“He also observed that the common land beside this structure was so unkempt, in some places, that one could barely make out where the edge of the drain was located.
Aloysius said his neighbour was under the impression that the drain had not been cleared for over a year and was full of sediment.
“This debris had built up into islands, more than a foot high, which provided the perfect habitat for shrubs and other plants.”
Aloysius provided Hotline with the location of the drain in question. This information was forwarded to City Hall.
A spokesman for the agency explained that the drain at the back of Lorong Buah Mempelam 3 was cleared annually according to a fixed schedule
“This was last done somewhere between May and June last year,” he said.
“Due to its sizeable length and depth, the drain can only be maintained on a contract basis.”
He said a contractor had been appointed to do clean the structure, and the reserved land beside it, earlier this year.
“The appointment came into effect in April,” he said.
“However, due to the implementation of the Movement Control Order, the individual has been unable to proceed.”
Nevertheless, he said, this work finally got underway in the third week of July.
“The contractor will be queried about the piles of earth left behind on the side of the drain and asked to remove this muck as soon as possible.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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