Council plans to upgrade Grand Millennium drains
Published on: Tuesday, January 12, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
A contractor cleaning the retention pond near Taman Grand Millennium in Kobusak.
THE Penampang District Council intends to upgrade the drains in Taman Grand Millennium to minimise the incidence of flash floods occurring in the neighbourhood.A Council spokesman said the agency also hoped to reconstruct some of the stretches in the neighbourhood as they had been affected by these drainage woes.
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“Settlement has taken place in many parts of the housing area since the drains were first built years ago,” he said.
“Because of this, the water overflows from these structures during a downpour and pools on some of the roads.”
He said the latter had sustained damaged as a result of this ponding problem.
The spokesman said the Council’s staff had been keeping an eye on the drainage there for some time.
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“The action plan for the neighbourhood has been included in our proposed list of projects for this year.”
He said the refurbishment of the drains and housing roads would be implemented once the necessary funds became available.
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In the meantime, the Council has attended to a retention pond, near Taman Grand Millennium, which is part of the drainage system in this part of Kobusak, according to him.
The concrete walls of this Luyang drain have been rebuilt.
“One of our trucks and an excavator were deployed to facilitate efforts to clear the weeds and desludge the pond.
“This work was carried out in the middle of December.”
He said the agency was in the process of arranging to have the roadside drains in the neighbourhood cleaned.
“These structures are maintained by the government concessionaire. We will ask the firm to step up these efforts.”
He said the front yard drains were cleaned on a quarterly basis, according to a fixed schedule.
BRANDON of Penampang said water had a tendency to collect on Lorong 2, where he lives, during a downpour, creating a nuisance for those living there.
“This happens even if the rain is not heavy and the run-off does not appear to recede, once the sun comes out again,” he said.
“The pools remain for so long that a green scum forms on the water. A foul smell can sometimes be detected wafting over these little ponds.”
He said cracks and potholes had also formed on the road, which were an inconvenience to motorists.
“I have spent a fortune replacing the springs for my car as the uneven surface of the stretch results in the undercarriage repeatedly scraping on the bottom of the road.”
When asked how long he had noticed this drainage woe, Brandon said the problem had been there for years.
“I suspect that the roadside drains may not have been maintained for some time.
“Either that or the culvert beneath the road may not be big enough to channel away the run-off generated whenever it rains.”
Meanwhile, a contractor with City Hall has rebuilt a section of the front yard drains in Taman Luyang, Phase 8.
Part of the concrete walls for the structure, along Lorong Margosa, apparently collapsed four months ago
A City Hall spokesman said one of its staff inspected the damage towards the end of December, after becoming aware of the problem.
“The contractor removed the fallen concrete from the drain and then set about making the necessary repairs in the first week of January,” he said on January 8.
“This work was completed within a few days.”
He said structural maintenance was carried out on the drains as and when it became necessary to do so.
“Ratepayers should alert us directly about any irregularities involving the drains, so that action can be taken to deal with these problems as soon as possible,” he said.
IRENE of Luyang said the concrete walls for the drains, beside her front yard, collapsed in September during a downpour.
“I contacted City Hall in the middle of September and was informed that my grievance would be promptly attended to,” she said.
She tried contacting the agency before Christmas to find out why nothing had been done about the drains.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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