Erosion control plan for developers

NST 20/08/2004

PUTRAJAYA, Thurs. - Developers, who are partly blamed for flash floods and landslides in the Klang Valley, will now have to follow a revised Erosion and Sediment Control Plan before assuming construction.

Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Isa Abdul Samad said the plan was needed to check badly managed development projects in the city and its outskirts.

He said the guidelines would soon be included in Development Orders (required by contractors before projects can take off). Officers from the City Hall as well as the Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department will be mobilised to ensure developers abide by the rulings.

He said the practice of developers removing the "topsoil" in the cut-and-fill process when preparing land for project developments would also be stopped as it was among the main causes of erosion.

Isa was speaking at his ministry here after a meeting with the Streamlining of Klang Valley Development Committee.

Isa said the revised plan also included the construction of proper channels to stop trapped rain from flowing out from construction sites.

The plan will also make the construction of "check dams" and sealed fences a prerequisite for development projects.

He said the plan would affect projects under the City Hall as well as the Selayang, Petaling Jaya and Ampang Jaya Municipal Councils.