Flash floods: Where is SMART?

The management's slowness in reacting to downpours leading to flash floods in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur has angered residents.

PETALING JAYA: Residents in the vicinity of Ampang Jaya and Pandan who have been inundated by flash floods in recent months have accused the management of the SMART Tunnel of inefficiency.

The continuous downpour on Wednesday had affected housing estates in the whole of Ampang area and in Kampung Pandan Dalam, Bandar Baru Ampang, Lembah Jaya, Taman Nirwana, Taman Putra Sulaiman, Taman Dagang and Bukit Belacan.

The more than four hours of downpour had also caused land slips in Kuala Lumpur, Ampang and Hulu Langat areas.

Blaming Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Sdn Bhd, the company that manages the tunnel, one resident in Taman Nirwana, M Thomas, said:

“They (SMART) are sleeping. Billions are being spent but they have no credibility and they should be replaced.”

Thomas, who is the chairman of the Taman Nirwana Residents Association as well as adviser to the People’s Consultative Council of Ampang Jaya and Pandan, said he tried calling SMART for over an hour but all his attempts were futile.

“I even called and informed the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council’s [MPAJ] enforcement officers.

“Even MPAJ complained to me that they could not reach SMART,” Thomas said.

Delayed opening of tunnel

Thomas said that eventually when SMART officials answered his call, they themselves were surprised to hear about the flood and land slips.

“Their delay in opening the tunnels is what caused the floods,” he claimed.

The tunnel, a 9.7-km storm drainage and road structure, was completed in 2007 to resolve flash floods and traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur.

Thomas also said the current swing in weather patterns and heavier than usual downpours were worrying residents in his neighbourhood because the monsoon drains were overflowing.

“On Wednesday, there was six inches of water on the ground and it was raining from evening until 9.30pm,” he added.

Thomas said this was not the first time that SMART had neglected its duties.

“They should be prepared to guard the city (around the clock) but they are not.

“I tried calling them in October last year when flash floods almost took place here (in Taman Nirwana) but (then too) they were not responding to the calls,” he said.

No response

Meanwhile, FMT made numerous attempts to contact SMART but was unable to obtain comments from them.

An attempt to secure a comment from MPAJ deputy president, Abdul Hamid Hussain, was also futile. Abdul Hamid declined to comment.

However, a former MPAJ councillor, Tan Hua Meng , said while the tunnel management shared some responsibility, there were also other factors such as the local drainage and development projects which contributed to the floods.

“SMART should be able to tell when there is a flood since they may have sensors to monitor the rise of the water level. We assume that is the purpose of the tunnel.

“The floods also can be due to the local drainage system unable to cope with the sudden excess of water. The development projects around Ampang also should take the blame.”