The Prime Minister is right in pointing this out but the fact remains that something drastic has to be done to address this long-standing problem.

Despite campaign ,advice and warnings, people's attitudes have not changed and the same problem persists years after year.

The state of construction sites and the people's attitude leave much to be desired.

One of the reason floods occur is that the drainage system is unable to cope with rapid development over the years.

We keep on building and developing but we have not given much attention to the improvement of our drainage. That even stretches of highways can be flooded goes to show that during the construction stage the drainage system has not been given due attention.

Another problem in our midst is poor maintenance ,as we do not have a strong maintenance culture.

As a result of neglecting maintenance and the acts of ugly Malaysians, urban Malaysia is characterised by litter ,clogged drains and flash and floods, just to name a few problems.

Is is about time Abdullah's administration takes drastic measure to deal with irresponsible builders and ugly Malaysians and works towards promoting a strong maintenance culture.

Lee Lam Thye, Kuala Lumpur
(via e-mail)