Council to check Papar construction site
Published on: Thursday, January 27, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "Council to check Papar construction site")
Water is ponding along the perimeter of the land where the commercial buildings are coming up.
THE Papar District Council is evaluating the impact of an on-going commercial development, off Jalan Lengan, on the public amenities in this part of the district. This follows the displeasure expressed by certain quarters about the haphazard manner in which the construction work is being carried out.
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Several two-storey buildings, which are intended to house shops-cum-office lots, are coming up near Kg Lingan.
A Council spokesman said attention would be given to addressing how the development had affected the flow of water inside the drains and river there.
“We plan to hold a discussion together with the developer and our peers from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID),” he said.
“A joint-inspection will later be carried out of the site, after which the company will be asked to rectify any irregularities raised by the Department.”
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He said the firm would be asked to accord priority to correcting these drainage problems as the Council did not want them to have a negative consequence on the rural folk living in the area.
The water in sections of these Papar roadside drains has turned black and has been giving off a foul smell.
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“We are keen to prevent the local community, especially those in Kg Lingan, from being hit by flash floods.”
The spokesman said the developer would be given a grace-period to meet the DID’s requirements.
He said further action would be taken, if the management failed to comply.
“If it comes to this, we may consider not issuing the occupational certificates for all the units at the property.”
He was responding to a Papar resident’s observations about the “pencemaran (pollution)” caused by the stagnant water inside the drains along the main road, as well as the stretch leading to the village.
The individual detailed her grievance in separate letters to the Council and Department last month.
As of January 26, only the latter had formally responded to her.
Hotline received copies of her correspondence which were forwarded to both agencies.
A DID spokesman said its personnel went to the area in December, shortly after learning of the resident’s complaint.
“They found that the natural flow of the section of the Sungai Takis indicated in the development plan had been disrupted because this part of the river had been covered with earth during the reclamation work,” he said.
“The flow of a natural body of water cannot be covered over, or changed, without prior approval from the Department’s Director and no such request has, so far, been made to this senior officer.”
Some of the folk believe that the roadside drains are not emptying properly into the outlet for the main drain.
He said a further check revealed that the developer had yet to make the technical changes required by the DID.
“Because of this, we have not been able to endorse the drainage plan for the development.
“The Council was officially made aware of the Department’s requirements in a letter on June 8.”
He said the DID wrote to the Council again on December 8 to seek the latter’s assistance in getting the company to abide by the technical conditions in the Sabah Water Resources Enactment 1998.
He said the developer was asked to pay particular attention to Section 41(1), which stipulates:
“Within a river reserve or shore reserve or on, in or above a water body it is an offence to undertake, without the approval in writing of the Director, any activity which involves
- the removal of natural vegetation or the removal or deposition of material;
- the erection of a structure or building; or
- the carrying out of a commercial or agricultural activity, unless the activity is of a type which the Director has declared in writing does not require approval.”
ANNY of Papar said the water in the drain along the access road to Kg Lingan had turned black.
“This caught my eye shortly after activities began at the construction site,” she said.
“I suspect that the drain may be clogged with earth which fell inside when the land was being reclaimed.”
She estimated that the drain was about 10 feet wide and that this width had since narrowed because of the soil.
Soil is suspected to have fallen into some of the drains in this part of Papar when the land for the construction site was reclaimed.
“The level of the water in the roadside drain takes a long time to recede even during the hot weather.
“This has led me to believe that the water is not being effectively channelled away into the main drain for this area.”
Anny hoped the local authorities would seriously look into this problem before floods occurred in the village.
“I hope they do not wait till lives are lost and our property is damaged, such as what happened during the heavy rains in Selangor last month, before stepping in to improve the drainage here.”
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