SHAH ALAM, April 22 — The Taman Sri Muda pumphouse here was fully functional as of April 16, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the failure of the pump, which was one of the causes of delays in flood control efforts in the area during heavy rain, was resolved when Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) reconnected electricity supply to the pumphouse.
“Thank God, we resolved the problem on (April 16) when TNB channelled power to the pump.
“Previously, TNB was unable to provide energy due to certain factors, and we saw that on (April 19) there was heavy rain for two hours but no flooding in Taman Sri Muda,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after the signing of an agreement between KDEB Waste Management and Nestle Malaysia on the SELKitar programme here today.
Yesterday, the media reported that more than 1,500 residents gathered peacefully to demand an immediate solution to recurring floods in Taman Sri Muda, Kota Kemuning and Batu 8 here, which have been frequently inundated since the massive 2021 flood.
Amirudin said he understood the residents’ trauma, and that the government had taken immediate actions such as setting up a special task force involving various agencies to overcome the flood issue, in addition to instructing state executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato’ Izham Hashim to identify moves to address floods in Taman Sri Muda.
“I understand residents’ problems but what we have seen is that flooding has occurred less than five times since the major flood in 2021 … and those incidents did not require the evacuation of residents, except for the latest incident on (April 11),” he said.
Amirudin said apart from the pumphouse, which is now functional and able to siphon off excess water, the state government will ensure water locks are always functional, and that local authorities do not neglect drain maintenance, especially in risky areas such as Taman Sri Muda.
On April 11, more than 1,000 victims were affected by floods in Taman Sri Muda, Padang Jawa and Meru, leading to more than 200 families being evacuated to six temporary relief centres.
— Bernama