MCW Urges MACC To Probe Alleged Reduction Of Kuala Lumpur Flood Retention Ponds
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Corruption Watch (MCW) has called on authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into allegations involving the reduction of flood retention pond capacity in Kuala Lumpur following the transfer of parts of the land to developers since 2015.
MCW president Jais Abdul Karim said the issue concerns public interest and should not be treated as an ordinary urban development matter.
According to him, claims that the flood retention ponds now retain only around 30 per cent of their original size raise serious questions regarding transparency in land management and integrity in the approval process.
“Flood retention ponds are built for public safety and disaster mitigation purposes. They are not areas that should be compromised for short-term development gains,” he said in a statement today.
He stressed that the public has the right to know who approved the land transfers and what technical considerations were used before such decisions were made.
He added that the approval process should be explained openly, including whether objections or recommendations were raised by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (DID) and related technical experts.
Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh reportedly stated that the flood retention ponds in Jinjang and Batu had shrunk significantly after 17 plots of land were transferred to developers.
According to her, the original flood mitigation area covering 114.5 hectares has now been reduced to approximately 34.35 hectares following phased land ownership transfers over the years.
Commenting further, Jais said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should thoroughly examine the entire land transfer process to ensure there were no elements of abuse of power or special interests overriding public safety concerns.
He also proposed that an independent audit be carried out on all flood mitigation zones in Kuala Lumpur to ensure urban development does not compromise essential public protection infrastructure.
“If the flood retention capacity has indeed been reduced to this extent, the public deserves to know who benefited from the development and who will eventually bear the consequences when major floods occur,” he said.
The issue continues to attract public attention as Kuala Lumpur frequently experiences flash floods that affect residents and urban economic activities.
-wilayah.com.my
