‘Preserve pond to prevent floods’

THE Kampung Bohol pond in Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur must remain a flood retention pond to prevent future floods, says Selangor investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.

Ng, who is also Kinrara assemblyman, said the proposed development on land next to the pond would cause long-term problems for Selangor residents.

While the pond is located in Kuala Lumpur, it borders the Kinrara township in Puchong, Selangor, and Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas).

This area has seen floods in the past few years, with two major incidents in December 2021 and March 2022.Ng hopes DBKL can be more proactive by involving Selangor stakeholders in its urban planning.

“Any development must also consider traffic dispersion issues in Puchong and Selangor areas.

“I hope Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) can be more proactive by involving Selangor stakeholders in the urban planning of Kuala Lumpur,” Ng said in a statement.

He added that the pond should be upgraded, with regular maintenance carried out.

StarMetro had previously reported that a developer was awarded a tender project to upgrade the Kampung Bohol flood retention pond.

They also received approval to develop the area adjacent to the land reserved for the retention pond, which is expected to include a housing development.

Ng’s comments follow a site visit by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa to the pond site on Monday.

During the visit, Dr Zaliha said the upgrading of the pond was a priority to prevent flooding.

She also said the housing development had been factored into the suitability of the site.

In a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dated May 22, residents group Kuala Lumpur Residents Action for Sustainable Development Association (KLRA+SD) vehemently opposed the revocation and regazettement of all reserve land for flood retention ponds in Kuala Lumpur, including in Kampung Bohol.

The group stated that public open spaces were meant for public purposes and should not be used by private developers for residential development, especially if these spaces acted as buffer zones for flood mitigation.

“In the case of Kampung Bohol flood retention pond, the proposed development will reduce its size to less than 33.1ha and capacity to less than 200 average recurrence interval (ARI).

“This will impact the effectiveness of the pond for flood retention purposes,” stated the letter signed by group chairman Tan Booi Charn.

KLRA+SD added that the proposal contradicted policies in the gazetted Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040, which states that public open spaces must be retained and emphasises the preservation of lakes and ponds.

In addition, a public petition calling for a halt to any development near Kampung Bohol pond was launched on May 20.

It reiterates that stakeholders are standing by their call for an upgrade to the pond and for no developments to take place in the area.

As of yesterday evening, close to 600 people have signed the petition.

Despite a commitment last year to scrap the land deal following opposition from residents, stakeholders and lawmakers, the government is now pushing ahead with plans to revoke the land’s public-use status.

The Attorney General’s Chambers published a notice in the Federal Government Gazette on May 8 announcing the proposed revocation of the land reservation for public purposes under Section 64(2) of the National Land Code (Act 828) for Lot 35309, measuring 24.79ha.

It was signed by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.

The land designated for flood mitigation was gazetted on Nov 4, 2010.

Once the public-use status is revoked, the surrounding area is to be developed for residential purposes.