KUALA LUMPUR: Electric cables installed illegally in drains near business premises such as in Jalan Changkat, Bukit Bintang here are among the main causes of flash floods in the federal city recently.
Alam Flora Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan said these illegally installed cables hindered the smooth flow of water due to rubbish that stuck in the drain.
“This makes it difficult for us (Alam Flora) to carry out cleaning work and we have to collect the rubbish manually.
“Our drain cleaning schedule is done only once a month, which means that when heavy rain occurs, water from the clogged drain will flow out and caused floods,” he told reporters after visiting several flash flood hot spots here recently.
He said Alam Flora was also concerned that their employees were at risk of being electrocuted because of these old and soaked cables found in the drains.
During the visit, Alam Flora workers showed the amount of rubbish and leftover food stuck in the drain, including food containers and plastic bottles, believed to have been thrown by irresponsible people and shopkeepers nearby.
Mohd Zain said these illegal utility cables were frequently found in over 25 locations in Kuala Lumpur, among others Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, while all complaints on the problem had been reported to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for further action.
He also regretted the perception of certain quarters that claimed Alam Flora was behind the occurrence of flash floods as it was only responsible for cleaning work while the maintainence work was undertaken by another agency.
As such, he said Alam Flora was still awaiting an immediate decision from DBKL to allow it to increase the drain cleaning schedule frequency in flood prone and high density areas here, among others Jalan Chow Kit, Jalan Duta, Jalan Imbi, Jalan Pudu and Jalan Kia Peng.
He said 20 tons of waste composition, including oil, dirt and sand in Kuala Lumpur drains were taken out using a water sucking machine each time
In the meantime, he said, Alam Flora and DBKL had deployed two special forces in preparation for flash floods following the flash flood that hit several areas here recently. -- BERNAMA