Residents of Taman Teluk Pulai in Klang are complaining about a monsoon drain at Leboh Sembilang 1 that is causing water to flow back into the housing area.
Gunarasa Sinnathurai, a member of the Taman Teluk Pulai Residents’ Association, said that since the drain was completed in 2017, it has been overflowing and allowing muddy water to enter their houses, reaching heights of up to 25cm.
The monsoon drain, located behind their houses, was constructed during the building of the Raja Muda Nala Bridge, also known as Klang’s third bridge.
Gunarasa is urging the Klang Municipal Council’s Engineering Department to investigate the issue, as it is affecting approximately 100 houses.
He specifically mentioned that many residents are senior citizens who struggle to clean up after the flooding.
The monsoon drain in Taman Teluk Pulai.
One resident, Lim Wei Ing, who lives at Jalan Sepat 1, believes that the monsoon drain’s poor design is the reason behind the backflow of water. She claims that complaints have been made to the Klang Municipal Council, but no action has been taken. Lim hopes that the monsoon drain will be cleaned soon to resolve the issue.
Tan Ee Kok, the caretaker of the Tian Du Gong Deity Chinese Temple, pointed out that every time there is heavy rainfall for over half an hour, water overflows from the 175m-long earthcut drain. Tan suggests replacing the drain with U-shaped concrete culverts to improve water flow.
Vasantha showing how high floodwaters reach in her house.
Vasantha Devi Suppiah, a resident of Lorong Sepat 3, has to clean her house every time the monsoon drain overflows. She previously raised the flooring by 10cm to prevent damage to the rooms and kitchen, but now the living room gets flooded. Vasantha states that most of her furniture has been damaged as a result.
Upon inspection, StarMetro noticed that many of the drain’s culverts are broken and certain sections need to be desilted. They also observed a 10m-tall banyan tree growing in the monsoon drain.
Zaireezal Ahmad Zainuddin, the director of the Klang Municipal Council’s Environmental Services Department, stated that the council plans to desilt the monsoon drain, remove vegetation from the earthcut drain, and cut down the banyan tree. However, Zamri Othman, the director of the Engineering Department, was unavailable for comment.
