Maintenance woes in Taman Tema
Published on: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The Council’s workers put their back into desludging the backyard drain, off Lorong Tema 1.
PUTATAN District Council staff have been asked to be more mindful of the condition of the backyard drains in one part of Taman Tema to ensure that these amenities do not become clogged with water vegetation.
The government concessionaire, on the other hand, has called on the local authorities to address the structural irregularities which have been causing water to stagnate inside a drain along Jalan Beverly Hills Plaza in the Bundusan area.
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This action was prompted by feedback from a Putatan homeowner and Penampang motorist about the lack of maintenance carried out on the drains at these respective locations.
The former feared that mosquitoes might be breeding in the drain behind his house as there had been an increase in the number of these insects buzzing about his premises.
The concessionaire’s workers clean the drain along Jalan Beverly Hills Plaza as and when it becomes necessary to do so.
The latter, meanwhile, has noticed that, during a downpour, water tends to overflow from a section of the drain opposite the back gate for the Road Transport Department Headquarters and pond on the road.
Both individuals provided Hotline with the location of the affected drains. This information was forwarded to the relevant agencies.
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A Putatan District Council spokesman said seven workers from the agency went to Taman Tema Phase 1, shortly after it learned about what was transpiring in the housing area.
“Our personnel dredged up the sediment and weeds from the drain with ‘cangkuls’ (hoes),” he said.
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“The long grass on the reserve and in the playground was also cut about the same time.”
When asked how often the common drains behind homes in the neighbourhood were attended to, the spokesman said the Council tried to have this done at least “two to three times” a year.
“We do not have enough manpower to consistently keep to this schedule. Given the extensiveness of our rating area, our crew cannot be everywhere at once.
“So, we try to deal with the drains and land on the shoulders as and when it becomes necessary to do so.”
The spokesman said the front yard drains were under the purview of the government concessionaire.
“The company was apprised about the condition of these structures and urged to attend to them as soon as possible.”
Where Jalan Beverly Hills Plaza was concerned, the Penampang Municipal Council was initially informed about the drainage woes.
A spokesman for the agency said it was helpless to intervene as the problem involved a drain which was maintained by the government concessionaire.
“We informed the company about the driver’s observations and called on the management to look into her concerns,” he said.
A spokesman for the firm said the drain was cleared by a five-man strong team after it was contacted by the Council.
“We have noticed that there is no outlet to channel away the runoff and that the level is low,” he said.
“This has caused the water inside to stagnate and contributed to the ponding problem which occurs on the road when it rains heavily.”
He said the local authorities were aware of these structural irregularities.
“An inspection of the drain was made a while back, together with a representative for the developer of the apartments and commercial centre nearby.
Officers from the Council and the Public Works Department, as well as a local politician, were also present during this check.
“Everyone in attendance agreed that the drain needed to be rebuilt.
“We haven’t heard anything further since then about how the local authorities intend to proceed.”
The spokesman said the company’s staff would keep an eye on the condition of the structure from time to time.
“The drain is cleaned as and when it warrants doing so.”
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