Bina segera kolam takungan - Sinar Harian

15 Jan 2015 oleh ISMANIZA AHMAD

IPOH - Satu takungan perlu dibina di hulu Sungai Pinji bagi menangani masalah banjir kilat yang berlaku di sekitar Kampung Sungai Rokam, Taman Maju Rapat dan sekitarnya.

Ahli Parlimen Gopeng, Dr Lee Boon Chye berkata, pembinaan takungan ini dicadangkan di hulu Sungai Pinji yang berlokasi di Tanjung Rambutan bertujuan menampung dan mengumpulkan air hujan daripada melimpah ke sungai berhampiran.

Menurutnya, perkara ini perlu diberi perhatian bagi mengelakkan banjir kilat daripada berlaku di kawasan tersebut sekiranya tiba musim hujan.

“Takungan ini juga dapat memastikan pengaliran air ke dalam sungai bersesuaian dengan kapasitinya dan adalah salah satu penyelesaian jangka panjang,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, pihak Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) diharap dapat mengkaji masalah tersebut secara menyeluruh bagi melaksanakan projek tebatan banjir yang berkesan bagi menyelesaikan masalah itu daripada berulang.

Pada Isnin lalu, sebanyak 19 rumah terjejas teruk dalam kejadian banjir kilat di Kampung Sungai Rokam melibatkan Jalan Salak, Jalan Perah dan Jalan Tampoi.

Hujan lebat lewat petang itu telah menyebabkan kawasan tersebut ditenggelami air setinggi satu hingga dua meter.

Menurut penduduk, banjir kilat tersebut adalah terburuk berbanding kejadian sama pada 2008.

Flood misery for 40 families - The Star

IPOH: A two-hour downpour has caused flash floods in four low-lying areas near Sungai Klebang here.

The torrential rain, which started at about 4pm on Monday, broke the bunds of the river, affecting at least 40 families in Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2, Kampung Tersusun Klebang Selatan, Kelebang Bayu and Taman Bertuah.

Some of the houses were reported to be totally submerged while waist-high muddy waters damaged other homes, forcing the families to be evacuated to SK Seri Klebang.

Among the victims were husband and wife Laili Aziddin, 57, and Hamidah Sulaiman, 56, who described their predicament as “history repeating itself”.

“It happened to us in 2006, and we had almost nothing left as the water ruined all our electrical appliances and furniture.

“This time, it was no different. My family and I could only watch as our home was inundated within half an hour.

“We found one of our two refrigerators floating on the water, and our clothes and furniture were ruined as well,” said retiree Laili.

The couple have six children, aged between 17 and 30. Four with them while the two eldest work out of town.

Returning to clean up her home in Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2 yesterday morning, Hamidah broke down when she saw the state of the house that she and her family had been staying in for 11 years.

“Almost everything is completely wrecked. How are we going to be able to afford to replace all our damaged items?

“Thankfully, four of our children are living with us. Otherwise, it would take a long time for two senior citizens to finish cleaning up the whole place,” she said.

Meanwhile in Taman Bertuah, about 2.7km from Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2, homemaker Ooi Yew Lan said she was at her mother-in-law’s house when she received a call from her neighbours about the flash floods at around 10pm.

The 54-year-old said her husband and children were out of town at the time.

“When I reached my residential area, I could not even enter with my car because the water level was quite high.

“I had to park a distance away and wade through the floodwaters to make it to my house,” she said.

The water subsided at about 2am, and Ooi had no choice but to put up for the night at her mother-in-law’s house because her own home was “filthy”.

“I came back the next day (Dec 9) and was relieved that most of my furniture were not damaged,” she said.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the flash floods occurred due to the breaking of the bunds surrounding Sungai Klebang.

“The authorities scrambled to get row boats to bring the victims to safety,” added Dr Zambry, who was on the ground to assist evacuation efforts at around midnight.

The state Drainage and Irrigation Department had been directed to check the integrity of bunds especially in flood prone areas such as Hilir Perak and Kerian.

Council finally begins repairing erosion site - The Star

Dec 8 2014

REMEDIAL work on the cave-in site at Laluan Meru Indah 5A in Gerbang Meru Indah, Ipoh has begun.

A check by The Star on Saturday revealed that workers have begun laying down rocks at the eroded area to allow excavators and machinery to navigate in the area.

When met at the site, a contractor, who declined to be named, said works to clear the mess would be conducted first in order for them to continue fixing the riverbank.

“We need to strengthen the riverbank first to avoid further erosion at the area.

“If we don’t fix it, it will also affect the other side of the bank, which is also showing signs of erosion,” he said.

“We can only begin construction work upwards after fixing the bank at the bottom,” he added.

A landslip occurred on Friday at about 8pm, causing a large part of Laluan Meru Indah 5A to cave in.

It is the second time such an incident occurred at the area. The first incident happened on May 30 where an area the size of 20m by 30m collapsed following a downpour.

When asked how long would it take to complete work at the site, the contractor said he could not be certain.

“It will take some time to clear the fallen trees and debris.

“All these will also depend on the weather, more rainfall will delay our work further,” he said.

Ipoh City Council corporate affairs principal assistant director Normala Latiff said the erosion was caused by a broken underground drain.

“The drain and outfall structure will be reconstructed,” she said.

Council yet to rectify situation after road caves in at Gerbang Meru Indah - The Star

WHAT will it take for the Ipoh City Council to act? Is it when the situation has reached a point of no return or worse still, when lives are lost?”

These are the questions being asked by residents of Laluan Meru Indah 5A in Gerbang Meru Indah who continue to live in fear after part of the road caved in about six months ago.

On May 30, an area the size of 20m by 30m, had collapsed following an evening downpour.

The landslide occurred just 4m away from the gate of the corner house where 74-year-old Zaleha Abdullah and her family live.

“To date, nothing is being done to rectify the situation, which is becoming worse by the day.

“All the council ever does is take measurements and photographs but it doesn’t address the urgent problem that is at hand,” said the elderly woman.

A check by The Star revealed that the eroded edges were a mere 0.5m from the road curb in front of Zaleha’s house.

All along the road, cracks and signs of depression were also visible.

“Each time we ask, the council gives the excuse that there are no funds available.

“We are living in fear, more so whenever it rains.

“I am also worried that one of my grandchildren may just venture outside and fall off the edge into the river below,” said Zaleha, who lives with eight grandchildren.

Further down the road, Dr Wong Sher Yee and her husband, Dr Kaw Han Chung, both 32, had a rude shock when part of the retention wall and fencing in front of their corner house collapsed last Friday.

Dr Wong said she had since tried but to no avail to get officers from the council to assess the damage.

“There is a big hole under the road and a stream has formed underneath.

“I spoke to a few officers whom we met during the first collapse but they have refused to even come to see what has happened in front of my house,” she added.

Dr Wong claimed that the council did not have a sense of urgency in dealing with the matter.

“According to the officers, their boss says this recent collapse is not urgent compared to the other end of the road.

“But my question is that, shouldn’t the council be taking preventive measures to ensure the entire stretch of road does not collapse?” she asked.

Another resident, contractor Soong Tam Boo, 67, said should the road in front of Dr Wong’s house collapse, residents living on Laluan Meru Indah 5A would not be able to access their houses.

“Then all of us will have to move away.

“Looking at the cracks and depression on the road, it is quite obvious there are cavities underneath.

“It is just a matter of time before a bigger stretch of the road collapses,” he said.

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.

Reliefs from Flood - Lim Garden Ipoh

SINCE the completion of a RM2.3mil flood mitigation project in Lim Garden last October, residents there have been living peacefully without flash floods disrupting their lives.

The project, which includes the building of a pump house, a 1,042m-long drain and the installation of a storm water pump, has thus far successfully prevented flooding with a committee set up to operate the pump house to release water into Sungai Pari.

Lim Garden Residents Association secretary K. Sagadevan said the pumps at Lim Garden were working fine.

“There are no issues now.

“There have been no flooding incidents since the pumps were installed,” Sagadevan said.

“Small amounts of stagnant water will also be pumped out almost immediately during a downpour,” he said.

However, Sagadevan said another pump was needed near Jalan Muhibbah, next to Lim Garden, as the existing one was unable to cater to the high volume of rainfall.

“The existing pump near Jalan Muhibbah also needs servicing.

“It is only able to pump out half the water at its full capacity now and will not be able to handle a large volume of water if it rains heavily,” he said, adding that some of the drains at Jalan Sitiawan also flow towards the drain at Jalan Muhibbah.

Sagadevan said the association had requested that the state Drainage and Irrigation Department get an existing pump from Merdeka Garden to be placed there.

“I learnt that Merdeka Garden has three existing huge pumps, including two new ones and a retention pond.

“We hope that they could move one of the three pumps to Jalan Muhibbah to help pump out stagnant water during a downpour,” he said, adding that the request was made earlier this month.

“The area near Jalan Muhibbah will flood after about two hours of heavy rainfall,” he added.

Sagadevan also praised the Ipoh City Council for doing a good job in maintaining the cleanliness of the residential area at Lim Garden.

“The residents understand that the surroundings, especially the drains in front of their houses, must be kept clean and not clogged.

“We always advise them to be mindful and to prevent water from stagnating,” he said.

Zulkifdzi Salleh, 19, also said there has not been any flash flood incidences this year at Manjoi.

The hardware shop assistant said even during the past few weeks when rainfall was high, the river did not overflow.

“I’ve only been living here since the beginning of the year but I have heard of frequent flooding.

“During the past few weeks, it has been raining heavily and the river was swollen,” he said.

“However, the water from the river did not flow out to houses along the bank,” he added.

Chow Kooi Hoong, who runs a coffeeshop in Buntong, said he is still cautious about the weather despite the area being flash flood-free last year.

Chow, 47, who has been living in Buntong for more than three decades, said the area near Sungai Pari had been hit by flash floods many times and that the residents there were not taking any chances.

“We are all anxious whenever it rains.

“Most of the residents here are always preparing themselves for the worst.

“We have all kept our important belongings on higher places,” she said.

Chow noted that while there had not been any serious flooding in the area in the past couple of weeks, there were several “signs” that the area might be submerged.

“Just about two weeks ago, the incessant rain caused the water level on the ground to rise up to our ankles.

“The river itself, as again, overflows easily as the siltation of sand from upstream continues to make it shallow,” she said.

“The drains here in Buntong are also clogged with rubbish and it is just a matter of time before flash floods hit again,” she added.

Chow said she hoped that the authorities, either the Drainage and Irrigation Department or the Ipoh City Council, could conduct river dredging exercises again.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/12/02/Relief-from-floods-Storm-water-pump-prevents-flash-floods-in-Lim-Garden/