DID to check on work progress
Published on: Friday, April 16, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
An excavator (in circle) was seen cleaning this large drain near Taman Sepanggar.
THE Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) will monitor the progress of the maintenance efforts being carried out on a drain near Taman Sepanggar Phase 2, following a homeowner’s misgivings about the half-hearted manner in which the structure was being cleared.A DID spokeswoman said the agency had only recently taken over responsibility for looking after the drain from City Hall.ADVERTISEMENT
She said the Department’s contractor might not have been aware of what was expected of him because of this.
“The drain was officially handed over to us in March, with the individual appointed shortly thereafter to maintain the drain,” she said.
“An inadvertent oversight is likely to blame for what the resident observed as the contractor may not have been familiar with all the requirements of the job.”
She said DID staff would double-check the cleaning effort involving the Sepanggar drain and advise the individual accordingly of any shortcomings with the work.ADVERTISEMENT
VU of Manggatal decried the lackadaisical manner in which the sediment and water vegetation was removed from the large drain at the back of his house, off Lorong Mempelam 3C.
The (island) with overgrown grass was not removed from the section near the culverts the drain.
“For several days, I saw the metal arm of an excavator moving up and down inside the structure,” he said.
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Later, when this machine had moved away, he went to have a look at the work which had been carried out inside the drain.
“I noticed that tracts of mud had been left behind inside, near the culverts.
“I wondered why this sediment had not been taken out and piled up on the side of the drain.”
He said there was also an island, full of overgrown grass, floating close to the culverts.
The width of this section of the drain had narrowed substantially because of the “island”, according to him.
“I couldn’t understand why the contractor had not removed these obstacles altogether when he cleaned the drain.
“I fear that flash floods may occur during a downpour if this work is not carried out properly.”
Vu said this had happened in several instances last year.
More sediment can be seen left behind in the drain.
“In October, my house was flooded after less than half an hour of rainfall, with the water level rising almost knee-high,” he said.
“Most of the furniture and several electrical appliances were damaged as a result of this.”
He said his compound was flooded again when it rained heavily two months later.
“Thankfully, the water only came into my compound but did not enter my home.”
He bemoaned the time and energy spent in cleaning up the mud left behind, on these occasions, after the flood had receded.
Given the recurring drainage woes, Vu hoped the local authorities would step up efforts to maintain the structure move regularly.
“They should focus on having the outlets and culverts for the drain unclogged.”
Vu said he had been contacting City Hall, on and off, about the floods in his neighbourhood.
A spokesman for the agency acknowledged the rate-payer’s previous appeals for help, saying that its Landscaping Department had tried to mitigate the flood woes as best it could.
A sizeable section of mud is seen near the culverts for the drain.
When funds permitted, an excavator was hired to clean the drain, according to him.
In every other instance, however, the Department’s workers used “cangkuls (hoes)” and rakes to carry out this task.
He said some of its officers went to the area shortly after the drain overflowed in the first week of October.
“They noted that the drain does not have the capacity to contain the run-off generated during a non-stop downpour.
“They also observed the lack of a ‘basin’ for the existing drainage.”
The spokesman said these findings had been forwarded to the DID.
The spokeswoman said the DID was aware of the flood woes in Taman Sepanggar Phase 2.
“We are in the midst of identifying areas around Manggatal with drainage problems,” she said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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She said the agency hoped to come up with possible solutions to the flash floods which had hit those living and working in the affected areas.
“A study on the drainage around the town will have to be conducted to facilitate this effort.”