Residents of Taman Setia Warisan have expressed their concerns over the delay in the flood mitigation project, which was supposed to start in June but has not yet commenced. At a dialogue session held at Dataran Taman Setia Warisan in Shah Alam on Saturday (Aug 5) night, residents raised this issue with the three candidates vying for the Kota Damansara assemblyman position.
Residents emphasized that the persistent flooding problem in the area has remained unresolved for years. Mat Saad Ahmad, the chairman of the resident association (RA), urged the three candidates – Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim (Pakatan-PKR), Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin (Perikatan-Bersatu), and Sivarajan Arumugam (PSM) – to investigate the progress of the flood mitigation project. According to Ahmad, the project was initially scheduled to begin in June, but it has not commenced yet, leaving around 80 houses vulnerable to flooding during heavy rainfalls.
Mohd Radzlan acknowledged the necessity of addressing river maintenance issues. He emphasized that sediment brought by rain accumulates in the river bed, causing it to become shallower. Regular river maintenance should be conducted to prevent such problems, he suggested.
Agreeing with Radzlan, Muhammad Izuan stated that inadequate river maintenance may contribute to the flooding problem. He mentioned the Shah Alam Sustainable Urban Drainage (Sasud) master plan as part of the flood mitigation project, which he had worked on during his previous role as a Shah Alam councillor.
On a broader level, Sivarajan argued that the issue should be examined from a comprehensive perspective, including Selangor’s environmental policies. He emphasized the need for a holistic approach to address flooding in suburban areas and understand its underlying causes, which could be attributed to uncontrolled development.
In addition to the flood mitigation project, residents also voiced their frustration regarding the RM4.60 one-way toll fee to reach Kota Damansara via the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway. While Muhammad Izuan and Mohd Radzlan did not comment on the matter, Sivarajan asserted that it was the government’s responsibility to negotiate the toll fee before the expressway was constructed.
Mat Saad mentioned that they usually invite candidates individually, but this time, the RA decided to invite all three candidates simultaneously to enable residents to make an informed decision on Aug 12. Muhammad Izuan, Mohd Radzlan, and Sivarajan are currently competing for the Kota Damansara state seat.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
