GOMBAK, 13 Jan: The residents of Kampung Sungai Salak, Batu 10, demanded for the problem of the frequent mudslide that happens to their homes since 10 years ago to be taken seriously by the state government following a series of complaints previously made.

Residents’ representative Sheh Mohamad Hasan Sheh Mohd Yusof, 73, said that residents are forced to face the same problem every time there is heavy rain and it is estimated that almost 40 residents are affected. In fact, the incident also complicated the main entry and exit routes for vehicles.

He said that the incidents happen due to the lack of a systematic irrigation and drainage system to channel water from the hill to the nearby river.

“When it rains heavily for one or two hours, the water cannot flow smoothly due to the absence of drains, causing flood in the residential areas and damaging the crops of the locals.

“The residents have repeatedly complained to the Gombak Setia Assemblyman’s Office, the Selayang Municipal Council and the Gombak Land and District Office regarding this problem, however, until today, no follow-up action has been taken by these parties.

“We want this problem to be resolved immediately because it causes problems and the residents have to clean their homes every time the disaster happens,” he told Selangor Kini.

Meanwhile, another resident, Jamaluddin Adnan, 63, said that his home has been affected over three times by the flood problem since he first stayed in the area over 30 years ago.

He said that although they received help from the responsible parties every time the incident happens, the flood problem has not been solved still.

“Various types of complaints have been made to the authorities, but no action has been taken so far. Only recently, the constituency office representative came to monitor it.

“We hope that this issue can be resolved soon because this has been going on for a long time. Until when do we have to wait,” he said.

For Deraman Lamat, 77, the village is very far behind in terms of development, coupled with a variety of infrastructural issues that need to be given attention by the state government.

He said that the entry and exit route to the area has not been maintained well since 2004, in addition to drainage problems.

“When there is too much development done on the hill, it blocks the drainage system causing the water coming from the hill to not be able to overflow properly into the river.

“Elected representatives have visited recently and we are still waiting for further action,” he said.

NS