KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will work with the department of irrigation and drainage (DID) to build a high-capacity groundwater storage tunnel to overcome the issue of flash floods in the nation’s capital.
Federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim said today at a media conference on “Towards A Flash Flood-Free Kuala Lumpur” that this was one of the long-term solutions that would take three to five years to complete.
He said DBKL would carry out a feasibility study on the location and specification of the groundwater storage tunnel. The study is expected to take three months.
“The storage tunnel’s function is to hold floodwater before releasing it into the river during low tide. Most major cities worldwide, including Tokyo and Itabashi in Japan, have built it (the tunnel) under their roads.
“However, what we have found is that our roads are narrow. So, some have suggested that we build it 120 feet below the river,” he said.
Shahidan said DBKL would appoint a consultant soon regarding the matter after holding talks with the DID.
He also said that DBKL would build flood walls immediately in all areas where rivers were likely to overflow.
He explained that the main cause of flash floods in the capital was the rivers overflowing and as a result, the drainage system was unable to channel the water into the rivers.
“We will also carry out work to desilt the reservoirs and rivers to maximise their usage capacity.
“For now, we have put sandbags in areas affected by river overflows. We have also placed mobile water pumps as a temporary measure to overcome this problem,” he said.
Shahidan and Kuala Lumpur mayor Mahadi Che Ngah recently attended the 27th International Conference on The Future of Asia in Tokyo, Japan, to look at ways to overcome floods and flash floods. - FMT
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