Thursday, May 17, 2012

Collapsed drain, blocked sump anger Kg Kasipillay residents


BLOCKED: Balasivasubramaniam and Seng Yor say the sump used to be visible and is now clogged by water
Residents from Kg Kasipillay in Sentul are frustrated by continuous flash floods that affect their only access road caused by a collapsed drainage and a blocked sump. The residents, numbering about 3,000, and not including residents from a couple of condominiums which are located there, say that it takes less than half an hour for the water to reach half a meter deep, every time it rains.
“This causes a traffic jam all the way back to Jalan Ipoh, a 30-minute bottleneck for a distance of less than 200 meters,” said resident A. Balasivasubramaniam. The 65-year-old, who has lived in the settlement for 34 years, said that the flash floods are caused by collapsed drainage on one side of the access road, Jalan Selvadurai, and a blocked sump. “We believe the drainage collapsed with the heavy vehicles from a tile factory parked by the side. These heavy vehicles eventually caused the collapse of the drain,” he said. “The vehicles have also caused the slope near the small bridge above Sungai Batu to sink and the problem keeps getting worse.”
Just across the road, a sump that should have been there is hardly visible as it is clogged with water, creating a large puddle.
“A new hypermarket is coming up and they have planted pine trees along the road without clearing the drain, and this has blocked the sump,” Balasivasubramaniam added.
Meanwhile, 77-year-old Lim Seng Yor, a chicken rice seller whose shop is located next to the tile factory, said that his business is affected when it rains. “People can’t park their cars, so they don’t come,” lamented Lim, who has been in business for 40 years. Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said that City Hall has been informed of the matter several times but no solution has been forthcoming. “My last complaint was filed on April 18. I will continue to work on the problem along with the Kg Kasipillay residents association,” he said. The association was only established in October to solve this long-standing problem, Lim added.
“There is a Carrefour coming up on Jalan Selvadurai. I can imagine what the traffic will be like if they do not solve this problem soon,” Lim said.
Related news: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2012/5/17/central/11304040&sec=central Collapsed drain causes flood

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