Whose 'baby' is the 40-year-old flood problem in Jelapang town? - Malaysiakini

May 4, 2010

Is it the concern of the Ipoh City Council, the state Public Works Department (PWD), the Kinta District Land Office or the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), asks Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

Party national deputy chairperson M Saraswathy (left) told Malaysiakini today that the four departments have kept passing the buck to each other and refused to provide a solution.

PSM had collected some 2,500 signatures from Jelapang residents in March and handed a memorandum - with photos of the flooded areas - to each of the four departments on April 2. To date there has been no response.

The flooding problem started when the North-South Highway (Plus) Jelapang toll-gate was opened and it worsened after the Lumut Highway was opened to traffic.

This because there is no proper drainage system to deal with the surface run-off, claimed Saraswathy.

She said Jelapang has developed into a key transit point for movement of people from east Perak to the state's west coast where Lumut and Pangkor are located.

Old, narrow drains the cause

The low-lying areas of Jelapang town from the Petronas petrol station towards the Plus Highway are flooded each time there is a heavy shower and this results in two-way traffic jams.

Business premises situated on the main trunk road are affected and personal property is often damaged.

The flooding is due to the old, narrow drains in the area, which are unable to cope with the increasing volume of water run-off.

Saraswathy said it is about time the four departments visit the flood-prone area and come up with a solution.

She said a comprehensive report on flood mitigation should be prepared.

"As an interim measure, the respective departments must use their contingency funds (to provide a solution) without any more delays or excuses," she added.