THE flash floods in Persiaran Surian, Petaling Jaya, last Wednesday have sparked fears among residents of a recurrence.
A downpour caused a 7km crawl.
Fikri Rizal, who lives in Petaling Jaya, said he couldn’t pick up his wife on time due to the floods.
“The road is packed in the evenings, but the flash floods made it worse.
“I couldn’t get to my pregnant wife, who was waiting for me at her office in Bandar Damansara Perdana.”
Fikri said he had to postpone an 8pm appointment because of the floods.
“What worried me most was that my wife is in her full term. What would have happened if she had gone into labour then and I could not get to her on time?
“I know that it’s normal for the road to be flooded, but this was the worst.”
Hafiz Mat, who commutes using the road, said: “Traffic was at a standstill with several vehicles partially submerged.
“I think that the floods were due to construction projects in the road. It has never been this bad,” he said, adding that he was stuck in the jam for more than three hours.
Hafiz said the local authorities should take heed of the incident.
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A Petaling Jaya City Council spokesman said the council had installed a twin box culvert in Jalan PJU 3/22 to enable better water flow when floods occurred.
He said council contractors had been told to cut the grass along Sungai Rumput from Damansara Perdana to Persiaran Surian.
“The contractors were also instructed to remove rubbish and sediment in the river.
“Following the flash floods, we visited the river and saw an overflowing of the Sungai Rum-put retention pond.”
The spokesman told ‘New Straits Times’ that the Drainage and Irrigation Department had been asked to enlarge the pond in Jalan PJU3/22.
“The city council will, however, continue to monitor the whole stretch in the event of another flash flood.”