CITY Hall has repaired a backyard drain in a Likas housing area, while the Municipal Council is arranging to do the same for the damaged sections of the five-foot ways built over the drains servicing a Penampang commercial centre.
This action was prompted by feedback from a Taman Likas Jaya rate-payer and shopowner at the Towering Industrial Centre about the lack of maintenance carried out on this infrastructure.
The former bemoaned the foul smell which had been wafting over from the drain behind her house off Lorong Burung Kenari 5.
She suspected that the flow of the water inside was being impeded in those places where the drain wall had given way and that the runoff could have turned stagnant as a result.
The Penampang trader, meanwhile, spoke out about the pedestrian hazards posed by the exposed sections of the pavements around the Industrial Centre, where the concrete slabs had either collapsed or were missing.
Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details, regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the relevant agencies.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department (ED) said an inspection was made of the common drain at the back of Lorong Burung Kenari 5 several days later.
“Our personnel confirmed that parts of the concrete wall were damaged and jutting out into the path of the runoff,” he said.
“Four of our technicians returned a few weeks later to deal with the affected portions of the drain.”
He said there was no fixed maintenance schedule for these amenities.
“Our assets are attended to as and when it becomes necessary to do so.”
To this end, he said the agency had called on its personnel to step up efforts to check on the condition of the drains around Likas and to take the appropriate action when this was warranted.
A spokesman for City Hall’s “Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pembersihan Bandaraya (Urban Cleanliness Department, UCD)” said its staff had been asked to do likewise, where the stench was concerned.
He said its Drain Unit dealt with the common drain behind Lorong Burung Kenari 5B, shortly after the Department was contacted by the media
“Ten of our workers used ‘cangkuls (hoes)’ to de-silt the structure and clear the weeds which had formed inside,” he said. “They also removed the clumps of dead leaves which were obstructing passage of the runoff.”
He said a four-tonne truck was deployed to facilitate efforts to remove the debris from the work.
“The Unit has been asked to check on the condition of the backyard drains in the neighbourhood, from time to time, to ensure that any blockages are dealt with accordingly.”
The spokesman said its personnel noticed that runoff, up to two feet deep, was stagnating inside the affected backyard drain, during a preliminary check.
“They theorised that the settlement which had taken place here over the previous years may have impacted the gradient of the structure.”
He said the ED was apprised of these observations.
“Our Engineering colleagues will have to determine how best to improve the flow of runoff in the drain. They will have to decide whether it warrants upgrading this structure and others in Taman Likas Jaya.”
In the case of the Towering Industrial Centre, the Municipal Council is in the process of putting together a proposal to restore the pavements around the property.
A Council spokeswoman said a “BQ (Bill of Quantities)” was being prepared for this purpose.
“Once we have secured the necessary funding, a tender will called so that a contractor can be appointed to carry out the repairs,” she said.
“We tentatively hope to begin attending to the five-foot-ways at some point later this year.”
She said a preliminary inspection was made of the different shophouse blocks at the Industrial Centre.
“Staff with our Engineering Division confirmed the presence of ‘holes’ in many of the pavements around these buildings.
“Wooden pallets and sheets of metal or plywood had been placed by some Good Samaritans over these danger spots to ensure that pedestrians didn’t injure themselves.”
