Shahidan: KL floods not due to clogged drains, retention ponds
He said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) cleans the drainage system on a regular basis and cleans all 19 river trash traps every day.
He also said the six retention ponds were...
PARLIAMENT | Federal Territories Minister Shahidan Kassim has dismissed accusations the flash flood that hit Kuala Lumpur on Monday was caused by a clogged drainage system and malfunctioning flood retention ponds.
He said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) cleans the drainage system on a regular basis and cleans all 19 river trash traps every day.
He also said the six retention ponds were working well and were adequate to retain the rainwaters on the day the flash flood occurred.
Despite this, the Arau MP did not dismiss the possibility of a 'clogged' river among the reasons for the recent floods as floodwaters may have flushed rubbish downstream.
"When the river level is high, the existing traps slip to the downstream resulting in the trash being trapped at the waterway and affecting the water flow," Shahidan (above) said in Parliament while winding up the debate on the flash floods that hit the capital.
Fong Kui Lun (Pakatan Harapan-Bukit Bintang), who brought up an emergency motion to debate the latest flash flood in the Dewan Rakyat, had asked if the drainage systems and retention ponds were cleaned regularly.
Earlier today, Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun allowed the emergency motion to be debated in the House today.
Shahidan also revealed that the City Hall was in the process of appointing a consultant to redesign the drainage system in the capital to better deal with increased rainwater.
He said the consultant is requested to complete the relevant study in 12 months.
Kuala Lumpur suffered flash floods on Monday, just three months after the devastating flood disaster last December which crippled many parts of the Klang Valley at the time.
Shahidan said Monday’s floods hit 29 areas in Kuala Lumpur, where waters took 30 to 45 minutes to recede in 25 areas, while other areas only saw waters receding in one to three hours.
