River Care Programme (RCP)

Zuraida (in headscarf) ordered the highway concessionaire to start mitigation works to prevent a recurrence of the mud flood after her site visit to Sierra Ukay.

SITE clearing works for the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) project caused some 25 houses in Sierra Ukay, Ukay Perdana in Ampang to be inundated with mud floods during heavy rainfall on Sunday night.

Silt from the clearing works taking place on a hill above the residential area was believed to have washed down during the downpour, causing water to rise up to 1m in several areas.

Several houses and vehicles were damaged during the incident, the first in the housing area.

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin instructed project concessionaire Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd (AZRB) to ensure mitigation work was carried out immediately.

“An emergency response team will also be on standby to mobilise resources if needed,” she said during a site visit yesterday.

Zuraida, who is also Housing and Local Government Minister, said mud and debris from the development site flowed into the drains and clogged a culvert behind the houses.

The culvert could not contain the amount of debris and silt, causing the water to overflow onto the roads and into the houses.

Several houses and vehicles in Sierra Ukay were damaged during the mud flood.

“The culvert was quite deep – about 3m – and it was filled up. They may have to look into deepening or widening it if needed,” she said.

Zuraida also instructed AZRB to expedite damage claims resulting from the mud flood.

With several similar incidents in the Ampang area caused by the highway construction, Zuraida said developers should take greater precautionary measures.

“Of course, in the initial planning, the developers presented their proposals, we organised talks and dialogues with residents, and their input had been taken into consideration.

“Perhaps these considerations were not focused on because the likelihood (of such an occurrence) was less at the time. But since this has happened, they (the developers) have to look into this,” she said.

Also present during the site visit were representatives from Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), Malaysian Highway Authority and Fire and Rescue Department.

MPAJ president Datuk Abdul Hamid Hussain said the council would have to relook the highway work procedures for any weaknesses that could have contributed to the mud flood.

“If needed, we will take further action, including issuing a stop-work order,” he said.

Sierra Ukay Residents Association president Hafidz Zihim said previous letters to AZRB seeking clarification on mitigation plans had gone unanswered.

“Since November last year, we have been trying to engage with the developer as we were also monitoring our neighbourhood when work started on this section of the highway.

“We noticed the culvert was filling up with silt and the water quality was muddy, unlike before construction started.

“They failed to respond until three weeks ago and we were supposed to have a meeting this weekend but unfortunately, this happened,” he said, adding that most of the residents spent the night cleaning their homes.

He added that residents feared there could be signs of slope failure if the matter went unchecked.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2019/04/02/mud-floods-damage-25-homes/#K8h9XYMQHg3zCQSq.99

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