YOURSAY | Sandbags will not solve our flood woes

YOURSAY | ‘Focus on preventing floods rather than mitigating them.’

Shahidan invites Lip Eng, critics to see flood solutions already in place

Enough of perpetual 'under study' flood solutions, MP tells minister

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Federal Territories Minister Shahidan Kassim, have you ever learnt prevention is better than cure?

You should be focusing on preventing floods rather than mitigating them. You cannot allow uncontrolled development on every square inch of land, covering up all-natural waterways and destroying green areas.

Even retention ponds have been converted into buildings. Do you think you can fight nature?

Even this proposal to mitigate floods is utterly stupid. Your short-term plan to put up sandbags, monitor flood-prone areas, etc, is like a band-aid solution.

Your long-term plan to build an underground storage tunnel is another stupid idea to do more construction, and by the time it is completed in three to five years, it may not work sufficiently like the Smart Tunnel.

By then, you would not know which natural hydrological systems you have damaged, thus creating even worse flooding. Water seeks its own level, and anything in its way will be crushed and destroyed.

You cannot allow more cramped high-rise buildings. Of course, that is a quick way to make money for politicians and developers, leaving the ordinary rakyat to suffer from potential floods and water shortages, to name just a few. Even this groundwater storage tunnel project reeks of cronyism.

You were just lucky with the latest flood in April. It was a noon shower which was not prolonged. Even then, it caused flash floods.

Let's wait for the next heavy sustained rainfall and see how successful your efforts are. What a silly statement for a minister to make on World Environment Day.

Anonymous 79: Can Shahidan tell us how high the sandbags and barriers are? Can this measure stop the flooding?

When the BN government built the Smart Tunnel, they said it would solve the flood problem in Kuala Lumpur once and for all. And yet floods continue to happen.

I think BN should shelve the underground storage tunnel. Because if BN proceeds with it, it will cause even more traffic jams and flood problems.

This problem doesn't happen in other Asian countries as frequently as it does in Malaysia. The problem is BN does not know how to manage our country.

Mazilamani: Let us begin with these questions:

Does the government have competent engineers and senior technicians to prevent and handle flooding?

Does the Drainage and Irrigation Department work closely with the police, army, local town council, Fire and Rescue Department, Welfare Department, Town Planning Department and other relevant departments?

Did they meet after the December 2021 floods or the recent flash floods? What was discussed and decisions reached during the August gathering of heads of departments?

Malaysians have suffered and incurred heavy asset losses after the floods and the pandemic.

Many have lost faith in the government. The high cost of consumables is a recent concern. A packet of 450gm fine salt costs RM1.85, more than that of 1kg of sugar. Vegetables now match the price of meat and fish.

Look into the plight of people instead of securing your political positions. We know that other countries also face similar problems due to the Russian-Ukraine War. These countries, including the UK, have to announce relief programmes for their citizens. Why are we still waiting?

BobbyO: The underground storage tunnel will take three to five years to build, but Arau MP Shahidan has only a year left in his position as federal territories minister. Even less, if former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have their way.

Why criticise Pakatan Harapan? Comparing BN’s 60 years to Harapan’s two years is like comparing apples and oranges.

What was BN doing all these years? They could have planned right from the start to make this city free from floods as well as monstrous traffic jams.

We had many notorious ministers, mayors and top officials all lining their pockets, as well as their cronies. Now we are left with a few sandbags to protect us from the mercy of floods and no way to solve the traffic problem. It can only get worse.

Determined Sarawakian: Shahidan, this is Malaysia. We are experiencing constant climate change and monsoons from the northeast and southwest. Temporary flood mitigation solutions don't prove to be sufficient. Proposals should include using flood waters to deal with drought.

Hence, Malaysia needs to specify the number of needed reservoirs; water catchments in cities and towns; irrigation, drainage, and canal systems that can drain water efficiently into reservoirs and water retention ponds. States that are prone to floods may require more reservoirs.

Clever Voter: Flash floods are not new. Solutions to these are strict enforcement of environmental maintenance and regular clearing of clogged drains. Heavy fines are to be enforced on anyone throwing rubbish anywhere but the bins.

Unless these are done, the mentality of both regulators and citizens will not change. Why spend billions on infrastructure when we do not have the mindset to upkeep it?

Quo Vadis Malaysia: I was in Kuala Lumpur on June 5 around 11am and it was raining lightly. Water was already pooling and a couple of inches on the main road Jalan Pandan 1 at the slip road entering MRR2.

This was obviously a drainage issue where the culvert drainage was blocked by probably sand and debris build-up. If you can't even get that part right, what hope do we have for a more sophisticated fix?

Oh, I get it... sandbags!

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