Several river reserves risk disaster from illegal encroachment

River reserves in several risky and critical areas nationwide have been found to be vulnerable to erosion or flooding, due to illegal encroachment and construction structures.

Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that the areas included the Klang Valley, which was prone to encroachment on reserve land, making it difficult to preserve and conserve the river.

“When there are flash floods and so on, that is the function of the river reserve, to protect or control it from becoming more critical. But when part of a river reserve is encroached upon, we find it difficult to control or take action.

“For example, in a recent incident in Taman Melawati, there was housing built on the river reserve area up to the banks. This is serious because relocating (residents) requires costs.

“In fact, the residents have already incurred expenses (to buy the houses). Because of that, it is a challenge to the ministry to ensure that the river reserve is protected (to avoid tragedy),” he said after officiating the Department of Irrigation and Drainage’s senior managers and district engineers conference today.

It was reported that a family of four in Kampung Warisan, Taman Melawati, Selangor, faced an anxious moment when a soil movement occurred behind their house in the incident in March, which was believed to be caused by the ongoing road repair work leading to the Klang Gates Dam.

Tuan Ibrahim said that the development of playgrounds and recreational areas was allowed on the river reserve so that the surrounding area could be preserved, including garbage disposal as well as initiatives to preserve river trails from being encroached upon to be used as illegal settlement locations.

He said that for critical or risky areas in the Klang Valley, ongoing discussions were held with the Federal Territories Ministry for immediate action, including building embankments so that water would not overflow or erosion to widen when disasters such as flash floods occurred.

- Bernama