Sales executive Andy Quah, 30, says they have to deal with a muddy retention pond and stench.

“When it rains and twice a month when the tide is high, the area beside the apartments will flood.

“Water can come up to 0.9m and the whole area becomes muddy and the smell is horrible,” he said during a dialogue session with government and department representatives held at the flats on Sunday.

The retention pond separating Krystal Idaman and Krystal Court is over 4m wide.

Residents and government department staff inspecting the retention pond.

Quah said that children frequently played in the water and tried to catch small fish when the pond was full.

His neighbour Mohd Salleh Mustafa, 43, however, has a different set of woes.

“The roof has been leaking since I moved into my flat in 2003.

“I complained to management before moving in and again to some government offices in Komtar but nothing was done,” said Mohd Salleh, who works as a driver and lives on the 11th floor.

“The situation wasn’t so bad when we moved in but now, the ceiling looks ready to drop and the water drips right down through the roof whenever it rains.

“It's not so bad when we’re not at home but when we are, it’s very worrying for the kids who are running around as we can see the wiring sparking when it rains hard,” he added.

Bayan Baru MP Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, who attended the dialogue, said:

“I have asked the management corporation, PDC Setia Urus, to come and inspect damage to the roof within a week.

“We will wait for the report and see what has to be done next,” he said.

State Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Law Choo Kiang, who was also present, said floodgates would be built at the main drain to control the tide flowing into the retention pond.

Flooding should stop within two to three months, he added.

“This problem happened because of over-development in the area and there is no proper drainage system.

“We will appeal to the developer to erect child barriers on the walls of the retention pond and build concrete slopes to stop the corrosion of earth under the buildings,” Law said.

He also said the Penang Municipal Council should tear down the toilet at the pond’s entrance.