Two Kepayan homeowners encroach on drain reserve

TWO Kepayan homeowners will be taken to task for encroaching on the drain reserve behind their homes in Taman Ridgeview.

One was found to have extended his house into this government land, while the other had fenced off part of this property.

Their actions prevent the backyard drains in this part of the neighbourhood from being properly cleaned.

A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Building Control Department said its staff would have a word with both individuals.

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“They will be asked to remove these illegal structures from the drain reserve and will be given a grace period to comply,” she said.

“If need be, notices to this affect will be given to the respective individuals.

“Should the fences still remain after this, then further action will be taken against these homeowners.”

This action was prompted by a ratepayer’s complaint about the lack of maintenance carried out on the drains outside his backyard fence.

The individual bemoaned the nuisance posed by the foul smell coming from these structures. A spokesman for City Hall’s Landscaping Department said its staff went down to the area where the complainant lived in the first week of January.

“They suspected that the water in the drains was stagnating because of the green scum and bubbles, which had formed on the surface,” he said. “Our staff observed that the back of one house had been extended into the reserve land, with zinc sheets put up on either side of the drains.

“To make matters worse, the space between the zinc ‘walls’ had been transformed into a garbage dump, with unwanted chairs, used tyres and bits of wire mesh thrown here.”

City Hall workers clearing the overgrown greenery on the reserve land.

He said these personnel found a gate had been built across another section of this government land. The spokesman said the Department’s workers went to clear the backyard drains a few days later “Their attempts were held up due of the difficulty in accessing those sections of which were closer to the main outlet.

“The relevant sections have since been informed about these irregularities.” A spokesman for City Hall’s Enforcement Department said its staff would try to identify the ratepayer who had transformed the reserve land into an illegal dump.

“The homeowner will be asked to remove his/her waste and warned not to indiscriminately dispose of his/ her refuse in this common area again,” he said.

“The individual will be given a grace-period in which to clean-up this property.”

The Kepayan homeowner has extended his home into the drain reserve and transformed this common area into an illegal garbage dump.

He said the ratepayer risked being penalised, if he/ she failed to comply with the agency’s instructions.

Under City Hall’s Anti-Litter Bylaws, those caught haphazardly disposing of their waste can be compounded between RM100-500.

In extreme cases, they could be brought to court where they risk having to pay a maximum fine of RM5, 000. KIM of Kepayan said the drains were clogged with sediment and weeds.

“The stench from the stagnant water in the drains is intolerable,” he said.

“I have to keep the doors and windows in this part of my house closed to prevent the stench from getting in.

“I also fear that the foul water in the drains has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes as I have noticed more and more these insects buzzing about my home.”

He said the drains overflowed flooding his backyard during a downpour, giving him the added headache of cleaning up the mud left behind on his compound after the water dries up.

“I have noticed that the water inside the drains does not recede even when the weather gets hot.”

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Kim was at a loss to understand how the local authorities could have turned a blind eye to this situation.

Kim provided Hotline with the location of the drains in question. This information was forwarded to City Hall.

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