DENGKIL, 14 July: Even after sleeping in a tent for 33 days, K Mathavi, 65, would rather stay there compared to the flat unit here at Taman Permata.
“Every night I would hear strange sounds, the cracking of the walls and ceiling of our, causing my whole family to fear staying in our own house for fear that rocks will crush us.”
Mahthavi, one of the 266 residents living in Block 5, Taman Permata Flats, has been plagued by fear since the building was found to be unsafe due to serious fractures occurring below the building.
Mahthavi, who has been living there since 15 years ago, said that the problem facing the residents began as early as year 2001; three years after occupying the flat.
Residents of the flat are part of the “original inhabitants” of Putrajaya, who were forced to move to make way for the development of the administrative city.
However, she said, the cracks that are being suffered by the residents was not serious at first, but it worsened every day, causing the flat to become increasingly settle and tilted.
“Many residents have decided to stay in tents after finding that their homes are no longer safe to occupy.
“One of the residents experienced heart problems when being startled from the noises coming from the walls of the house. In fact, we still hear noises till today.
“We do not want to live here anymore because this flat is no longer safe. We are worried to even be in the house for a little while, let alone for long periods. We are not willing,” she told reporters this morning.
A survey by TVSelangor found that several houses in the block are quite badly fractured, tiles are scattered on the floor, while the four-storey flat has settled.
The underground water channels of the flats were found to be channeling water directly to the drains and it is believed that this is the cause of the sinking.
Due to the unsafe conditions of the building, the Sepang Municipal Council (MPSp) has ordered all residents to move temporarily to enable to monitor the safety of the flat.
As a security measure, more than 80 families have decided to stay in three tents erected by the residents of the flat since June 11.
Another resident, S.Angela, 50, said that she had to use her savings to renovate the house over three times because the walls, especially in the kitchen, began to experience serious fractures.
Angela who lives with her husband and six children is always in a state of alert, be it day or night, because they fear that the house that they have been living in for the past 15 years will compromise their safety.
“My husband is currently suffering from many diseased because he is too worried about the fate of our family as we have yet to receive any final word from the relevant authorities.
“The Head of our block has lodged a report at the police station and to the Public Works Department (JKR), but we have yet to receive a definite answer,” she said.
S.Muniandy, 60, said that the residents were not only faced with problems of cracking walls, but are also faced with the problem of clogged water pipes.
In fact, he said that last year, due to the unmaintained drainage system, the residents in the area faced bad floods which were over a meter during rainy seasons.
“If the Federal Government truly wants to help us, please provide suitable homes. Do not treat is this way,” he said.
