Some 30 residents in Jalan Felcra Semungkis in Hulu Langat, Selangor, staged a protest this morning calling on the developer of the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) to provide compensation for flood damage.
The residents gathered in front of the Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd (AZRB) building in Persiaran Gurney, Kuala Lumpur, to stage the peaceful protest.
They handed over a memorandum to AZRB security director Mohd Harun Mohd Idris.
The residents claimed that they have experienced frequent flooding to their homes after the construction of EKVE began in 2017.
AZRB is the concessionaire of the EKVE project.
"We do not object to the construction of the highway as it's already finished.
"But we are here to hand the memorandum to the AZRB to give us reasonable compensation and an assurance of safety for the residents," said Laman Gahal Residents Association chairperson Abu Samah Ibrahim.
They are asking for compensation on personal property damage from 2017 to 2019, compensation for damage to residential areas including potholes, collapsed walls, and roadside rubble as well as the costs of repairing damaged infrastructure.
Abu Samah claimed that the only compensation they got from the developer was in 2017, but the payment was only made in 2021.
"But not everyone received the compensation; only 12 households got it," he claimed.
The residents claimed that floods will occur three to four times every year in their village.
"Last year, flooding happened seven times," he said.
According to Abu Samah, as a result of damage to the natural drainage, rainwater from the highway will overflow into drains in the housing areas.
"This is not a river, only a drain so it does not have the capacity to handle large amounts of water," he said.
Besides floods, the residents are also plagued with dirty water supply and landslides.
Another Felcra Semungkis resident, Noraini Mat Talha, estimated the total damage suffered over the past six years due to floods was RM1 million.
"We have problems getting clean water and we have to change our filters many times.
"It is not easy for my husband and I to collect water as we are senior citizens," she said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Harun said the company will consider follow-up action together with the residents.
"We will have to involve both the state government and the residents in this matter," he said.
Malaysiakini is contacting AZRB for further comments. - Mkini
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