WITH parts of Kuala Lumpur getting inundated by floods again, two DAP MPs lashed out at the Government for still dragging its feet on proper flood mitigation programme.
“Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur turned into the ‘City of Mud’ again, no thanks to the Federal Territories Ministry and Environment and Water Ministry failure to address the problem.
“Enough is enough! The massive December flood last year was supposed to be a wake-up call but yesterday’s flood proved otherwise. For this to happen within the span of less than four months, city folks are getting agitated,” said Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng, in a statement.
Yesterday, several major roads in Kuala Lumpur got inundated after a heavy downpour that started at around 3pm.
The Integrated Transport Information System (Itis) shared several photos on social media showing the affected locations.
Among them were Jalan Semantan, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Segambut, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Travers, Jalan Ampang, the area around Menara DBKL 1 in Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim and Jalan Pudu.
“It is raining heavily in the city centre. Motorists are advised to exercise caution when driving,” The Star was reported as saying.
Touching on the matter, Lim reminded the Government that every time there is flooding, residents will have to spend a lot of money to clean up and refurbish their homes and vehicles.
For each flood, he added, the damage on caused properties itself can run into millions.
Lim mentioned that it was getting frustrating that both ministries have yet to provide an explanation on why floods are becoming more frequent in recent years, despite spending billions on flood mitigation processes such as deepening the river and establishing the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART).
“The two ministries must answer for this. Did we carry out any holistic environmental impact assessments (EIA) on the entire Klang Valley to find a solution to the problem?” the DAP leader asked.
Lim told the Government that what people want is sustainable development, instead of just going around building more condominiums, office towers, shopping malls and skyscrapers in the name of development.
“If these projects continue unabated, it will only worsen the situation. Those who ultimately have to bear the consequences are the people living in Kuala Lumpur,” he quipped.
Distribute aid quickly
On related matter, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh urged the Government to distribute aid to flood victims in Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible given that Hari Raya celebration is nearing.
“I urge the Government to provide at least RM1,000 to households affected by floods,” the former deputy minister said.
Echoing Lim’s views, Yeoh also urged the Government to find a long-lasting solution to the flood problem as it was costing the people millions to get back on their feet.
“We cannot be going around blaming it on unusual downpour all the time as flood is getting way too frequent in Kuala Lumpur,” she mentioned. – April 26, 2022
