NST Online: StreetsJohor

Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:03 AM PDT

Solution at hand for village flood woes

2011/06/14
By Ahmad Fairuz Othman

REPRESENTATIVES from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) visited Kampung Sepakat Baru, Skudai, on June 9 following complaints of flash floods in the village that supposedly occurred due to a nearby UTM construction site.

UTM director of works, Dr Wahid Omar, said the university was very concerned over a recent report in Johor Streets which had highlighted frequent flash floods that affected at least 38 of the 100 households in the village.

Wahid said the university would take steps to further improve its existing drainage infrastructure at its construction site, in which three new faculties are being built.

Another construction site located 300m away is for a second route into UTM.

Kampung Sepakat Baru is located downhill from the construction sites of the four new faculties -- Science, Bioscience, Research Management Centre and Management and Human Resources Development.

The dual-carriageway Senai highway separates the village and construction site.

"Our preliminary investigations show only minimal water flows to the village during rain," said Wahid.

Checks conducted by UTM representatives during the visit also revealed flash floods could be due to the village's poor drainage system.

"The problem may lie in the village's drainage as the outflow of water was smaller than the inflow," he said.

"However, we will monitor the situation and will take whatever action deemed necessary to ensure development of the UTM campus will not affect nearby areas and villages."

Wahid said part of the village's drainage system was on land owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and a Lee Rubber estate.

"We will refer the problem to TNB, Lee Rubber and notify the Johor Baru Central Municipal Council to find a solution to the villagers' woes."

It was reported by Johor Streets on June 6 that villagers in Kampung Sepakat Baru had experienced flash floods whenever it rained, and that these were due to the nearby construction of the second route into UTM.

The village has experienced flash floods 10 times this year, and such incidents had not occured prior to the constructon work that began a year ago.

The villagers had also incurred losses as they have been replacing furniture and clearing mud from their houses after the floodwater recedes.

Meanwhile, village representative Azmi Basiran, 42, proposed a clean-up of the village's drains together with UTM and other agencies.

He hoped that with UTM representative's visit to the village, a solution to the flash flood would become a reality.

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Boat sinks after docking at jetty

Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:53 AM PDT

A FISHERMAN recently lost RM40,000 when his 10-year-old boat sank after docking near a jetty belonging to the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia.

Low Tek Siang, 40, said he and his friend "could not do much as the boat sank quickly as we were trying to start the engine."

He added that both of them also tried to get a crane to haul it up to shore, but that too was in vain. He said the boat had been in proper condition, and he managed to salvage the engine which can be used for other boats after repair.

Tek said he had lost RM100,000 this year after losing three boats at the jetty.

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 14 Jun 2011