CITY HALL is considering rebuilding the gradient of a drain behind the bin centre of some Kepayan shophouses, as well as another in a Likas neighbourhood, due to ground settlement over the years.
The proposed improvement aims to prevent water from stagnating in the affected drains and ensure proper flow of run-off. Officials are currently deliberating on the feasibility and scope of the works.
In the meantime, the agency will step up efforts to have them cleaned to minimise the likelihood of a foul smell coming from the direction of these structures.
This follows feedback from an eatery operator at the Kepayan Commercial Centre and a Taman Sinar homeowner about the nuisance created by the stench which had been permeating their respective premises for some time. Their grievances were forwarded to the agency.
A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Landscaping Department said preliminary inspections were made of Lorong Bunga Tanjung 2 in Kepayan and Lorong Pokok Johor, shortly after it was contacted by Hotline.
“Our staff confirmed that both drains were clogged,” she said. “The one in Kepayan was blocked with bits of rubbish, while the other was full of water vegetation.”
She said a team from its Drain Clearing Unit (DCU) went to the Kepayan Commercial Centre yesterday.
“Six of our workers used rakes and ‘cangkuls (hoes)’ to fish out the muck from the drain behind the bin-centre on Lorong Bunga Tanjung 2. They also removed some garden waste, including pieces of trees which had been chopped down, from the drain-shoulder.”
On top of this, team attended to the covered drains running beneath the pavement around the different blocks there, according to her.
She said a four-tonne truck was deployed to facilitate efforts to remove the refuse, prunings and mud at the Commercial Centre.
“Our staff observed that a substantial amount of settlement had taken place in the years since the drain behind the bin-centre was first built. Owing to this, the run-off cannot reach the outlet for the drain which is located at a higher level.”
The spokeswoman said a similar observation was made when the DCU dealt with the weeds and sludge in the backyard drain in Taman Sinar last week.
“These findings will be forwarded to our peers at the Engineering Department (ED) who are in a better position to decide on the nature of the improvement which should made, including whether the level of the drains need to be addressed.”
She said the DCU had been asked to check on the condition of the backyard drains at the commercial centre and housing area, from time to time, to ensure that any blockages were dealt with accordingly.
A spokesman for ED said it would arrange to check on what had been transpiring on Lorong Bunga Tanjung 2 and Lorong Pokok Johor.
“Our staff will have assess the condition of these drains, before we can proceed with further action,” he said. “We will have to determine whether the outlets and gradients for both structures warrant our attention.”
A spokesman for City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Department said its personnel would be on the lookout for litterbugs at the Commercial Centre.
“Anyone caught throwing their rubbish indiscriminately into their surroundings, instead of placing it in the bin, can be deemed to have contravened City Hall’s (Anti-Litter) By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2005),” he said. “A compound for as much as RM500 can be issued to first time offenders.”
He said those who repeatedly disregarded the agency’s calls to refrain from littering could wind up having legal action taken against them.
“They will be liable to a fine for as much as RM10,000, if they are found guilty in court.”
