DBKK to repair damaged pavements
Published on: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
City Hall staff survey the damage to the pavement in this back lane in Sinsuran.
CITY HALL has attended to the damaged section of a covered drain along Jalan Laiman Diki and is arranging to have similar repairs made around the Sinsuran shophouses.
A spokesman for the agency’s Engineering Department said a thorough inspection had been made of the nine back lanes for the latter buildings.
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“Structural defects, involving the pavement and covered drains, were noted at more than seven different spots between the different blocks,” he said.
“Much of the damage was caused by the soiled water which was being emptied onto the cemented five-foot ways along the alleys.
“Our staff noted the presence of down pipes, extending from several of the residential units above the shops, through which these fluids were being discharged.”
He said their peers at City Hall’s Building Control Department were apprised of these findings.
The Engineering Department team appears dumbfounded by the volume of water which is emptying out from this down pipe onto the pavement below.
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“We were made to understand that 16 unit-owners in Sinsuran had already been notified about the oily and soapy discharge from their premises.
“They were instructed to take immediate steps to deal with this irregularity.”
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The spokesman said City Hall had sought Api-Api Assemblywoman Datuk Christina Liew’s assistance to refurbish the affected pavements and covered drains servicing the shophouses.
He said preliminary discussions had been held between Liew and the agency, during which she had indicated her commitment to helping finance the improvement of the common areas in Sinsuran.
“A bill of quantities for this work has been submitted to her office. We are waiting to receive an allocation before proceeding with the rehabilitation effort.”
City Hall’s action was prompted by feedback from the Assemblywoman a few months earlier about the lack of maintenance of the common areas in Sinsuran.
The damaged pavements along the back lanes in the area were among the irregularities which Liew – who is also State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister – pointed out at the time.
She was concerned that the poor condition of this part of the State Capital might give first-time visitors a negative impression of the City.
The Minister is also due to fund City Hall’s plans to increase the motorcycle parking in Sinsuran.
The agency is endeavouring to modify the medians on Jalan Datuk Chong Thian Vin and Jalan Kamunta, which span a total length of 224 metres, for this purpose.
The spokesman refuted the suggestion that Sinsuran was not being maintained properly, saying that agency had been doing what it could to look after the public places there.
“It is an ongoing effort to tackle the problems in this part of the State Capital as and when they arise,” he said.
Meanwhile, City Hall has placed a metal grate over the exposed section of a pavement, opposite the building where the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce is based in the Kampung Air area.
The spokesman said this was done after learning about the pedestrian hazard posed by a partially damaged slab along the five-foot way earlier this month.
“Our staff found that bits of the concrete had chipped away,” he said.
“One section had become exposed with a gap about the size of an average adult foot.
He said the agency’s contractor was alerted to this irregularity.
“He initially covered the affected slab with a piece of plywood to safeguard pedestrians who frequented this area.
“A few days later, the individual removed the damaged slab and put in the grate.”
The spokesman explained that structural maintenance was carried out on the pavements in the City – including the drains underneath – as and when it became necessary to do so.
To this end, he said, the agency’s staff had been asked to be more mindful about the condition of these amenities.
“The public should also report any problems with the five-foot ways directly to us, so that action can be taken to deal with these matters as soon as possible.
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