SHAH ALAM, April 28: Work on 11 flood spots around the Taman Sri Muda area in Shah Alam, which has been experiencing flash floods on and off, with the latest one on April 11, has already begun, said Kota Kemuning assemblyman Preakas Sampunathan.
In a recent interview with Weekly Echo, he said, a long term flood mitigation project, funded by the federal government, is also expected to begin in June this year.
While work on the 11 areas identified as hot flood spots is an immediate measure to keep flash floods at bay, the planning and design of the long term project, which is a turnkey project, is expected to be finalised soon and work is set to begin in June this year, Preakas said.
While, there has been some delay on the project, for which, the federal government had given an allocation in late 2023 and the contractor appointed in 2024, this was to ensure that all factors had been considered and the core problems identified so that the final design and plans are able to tackle the flood issue well.
He also said that various considerations have been made to ensure that the project goes well, which included building stronger bunds and a larger water retention pool for the Sri Muda area.
Meetings have been held involving all the relevant parties including the state’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS), the Shah Alam City Council, and the Selangor State Executive Council, to expedite the project, he said.
A town hall session is also expected to be held next month (May 2025) so that the people of Sri Muda can be briefed on the works of the project.
The government understands the situation as the people have been suffering everytime floods occur in their area, as their homes and properties are damaged and they have to start cleaning all over again.
“It is doing its best and has given the necessary allocation, and now we just have to expedite the project,” he said.
— WE