Taman Rambutan roads covered with mud from nearby storm drain with missing floodgates - The Star

SEVERAL roads in Taman Rambutan in Tanjung Rambutan, Ipoh, were covered with mud after a downpour recently.

Muddy water, about 0.3m deep, inundated Jalan Ujong, Jalan Tanjung Intan 1 and Jalan Tanjung Intan 2 during the downpour that occurred on Tuesday from 9pm to 11pm.

Hulu Kinta assemblyman Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah, who visited the area on Wednesday, said the muddy water was believed to have come from a nearby storm drain after the Sultan Azlan Shah dam overflowed.

“The matter was made worse as the floodgates at the storm drain were missing and the residents did not realise this until the muddy water hit,” he told journalists, adding that Taman Northward and Kampung Masjid were also affected.

He said it was fortunate that the muddy water did not enter any house and receded at about 12am.

Aminuddin said the last time the area was hit by a mud flood was in 2006.

“Things have improved since a better drainage was built,” he said.

“About two years ago, a flash flood did hit the area but it subsided quickly,” he added.

He said the Ipoh City Council sent workers and machinery to clean up the area after that.

“We also requested assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department to help wash away the mud,” he said.

Taman Rambutan resident S. Murugiah, 49, said he believed the floodgates had been missing for several years.

“Flash floods occurred on several occasions but no one thought about it as the incidents were not serious.

“A couple of times, I saw Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) officers checking the storm drain and the riverbank so I thought everything was alright,” he said.

“It was fortunate that the mud did not enter our homes or it would have been troublesome for us,” he added.

Murugiah said he hoped that DID would maintain the riverbank and riverbed from time to time to ensure that flash floods could be minimised.

“They really must make sure the riverbank could still support a high volume of water.

“We also hope that they can replace the missing floodgates as soon as possible,” he said.