PM wants strict tabs on project sites
Sunday Star 7/11/2004 BY ZARINAH DAUD
KEPALA BATAS: Debris at construction sites and the people’s habit of
throwing rubbish everywhere have made the country increasingly prone
to floods, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“Contractors must immediately clear their junk.
“If the debris continues to pile up, surface runoff from higher
grounds cannot escape into the rivers. Therefore, floods will
occur,” the Prime Minister said.
“The public must also co-operate by not throwing rubbish into drains
because all of us will face difficulty whenever it rains heavily.
“We can see plastic bottles and even rattan baskets being thrown
into the rivers and this irresponsible act by some of us can cause
flash floods,” he told reporters after presenting Hari Raya goodies
to the needy at his Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency service
centre here yesterday.
Abdullah was commenting on the recent flash floods in the country
and the findings by the Drainage and Irrigation Department that the
problem was due to rapid development over the years.
An eight-year-old girl was killed in a landslide triggered by heavy
rains on Sunday that also caused flash floods and traffic chaos in
the Klang Valley.
PLUS has warned that several stretches of highways in rapidly
developing satellite townships of the Klang Valley are likely to be
flooded during the raining season.
Heavy rain in the country’s south this week damaged railway lines,
causing disruptions to train services between Kuala Lumpur and
Singapore.
A student who was due to sit for his STPM examination this year
drowned in a canal in Kampung Temalong, Gunong, Bachok in Kelantan,
on Friday.
Rescuers found the body of Lim Hock Ling, 20, along with the bicycle
he had been riding .
A child in Tumpat, Kelantan, and a 42-year-old Singaporean in Johor
Baru were reported drowned in floodwaters over the past few days.
The Meteorological Services Department said, however, that despite
the traffic snarls, clogged drains and landslides in many areas, the
amount of rainfall in recent days has not reached an “exceptionally
high” level.
Abdullah instructed government agencies and local authorities to
clear all debris from construction sites that could cause clogged
drains and worsen the flood situation.
The Prime Minister said a better monitoring system should be set up
to ensure that contractors do not leave construction debris after
completing their work.
He said he noticed that many contractors left behind piles of
concrete, timber and sand at construction sites or by the road which
could eventually clog drains and waterways.
Abdullah said existing laws were adequate for local authorities to
act against developers who fail to clear up construction waste.
“Agencies that monitor construction sites as well as buildings must
look out for errant developers and ensure their projects do not
block the drainage system. “We can easily reduce floods if we look
into this problem in urban areas. This is the responsibility of the
enforcement unit.” |
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