Public parks in need of monitoring

THE peace and tranquility of Taman Aman in Section 22, Petaling Jaya, was shattered by the discovery of a lifeless body of a foreign national hanging from a tree about three months ago.

According to reports, the body was found by an elderly person who had arrived at the park early in the morning to fish at the lake.

Though the park boasts several closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV), stakeholders believe that monitoring devices alone are inadequate and want the security system reviewed.

Friends of Taman Aman (Fota) chairman Thayakugan Rajendram said six CCTVs had been installed at the park since 2016, but he was unsure how many were actually functioning.

Thayakugan says six CCTVs have been installed at Taman Aman since 2016, but he is not sure how many of them are in working condition.

“These CCTVs are crucial for investigations by the authorities, especially the police.

“The local council is supposed to monitor and maintain the CCTVs to provide footage if necessary to the police; until now no one has come to check if they are in order,” claimed Thayakugan.

StarMetro reached out to Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid about the death at the park, but he has yet to confirm the details of the incident as at press time.

If the CCTVs were working, Thayakugan said, the footage would be crucial to finding out more about the case, like when the person entered the park and if anyone else was involved.

“Some parkgoers come as early as 6am, while in the evening they are here until after 7pm. With cases of pickpockets and snatch thefts happening, having functional CCTVs is important,” added Thayakugan.

Parkgoers at Taman Aman, Petaling Jaya are concerned about the algae problem in the lake. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

He also suggested that since the park, which has two entrances, is open 24 hours, the police should conduct regular patrols, especially after nightfall.

He said there used to be such patrols during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and believed bringing them back would provide parkgoers with some level of assurance.

Thayakugan also claimed that two floodlights at the park were also not working properly.

“Millions were spent by previous assemblymen for these lights to turn on automatically when it is dark,” he said, adding that this was also one of the measures to improve park security.

With the impending swearing in of Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillors later this week for the new term, Thayakugan is hoping the area councillor and city council can take more proactive measures to ensure the residents’ well-being and that public facilities are maintained regularly.

Thayakugan says there is a problem of backflow from the nearby monsoon drain which results in flooding at some parts of the park.

“The problem is we make complaints to MBPJ about the maintenance of the park, but there is no improvement; we need to highlight it in the media before they come and fix things.

“Often there is no response from the councillors even after we add them to our Whatsapp group. There are, however, senior councillors who take things seriously,” he said.

In response, MBPJ denied that the facilities in Taman Aman were not maintained properly.

It said the park was equipped with four outdoor CCTVs units that were fully functional for the city council to monitor the area.

“All the lights in Taman Aman are also fully functional and maintenance work on the facilities in the park is also carried out regularly by the city council,” said MBPJ.

Upgrades for Taman Aman

Taman Aman is presently undergoing maintenance work.

During a check, there was a signboard at one of the entrances to Taman Aman stating that MBPJ was carrying out such work starting December 2023 until 2025.

MBPJ said all the lights in Taman Aman are fully functional and maintenance work on the facilities in the park were carried out regularly by the city council.CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

When contacted, MBPJ said it had appointed a new landscape maintenance contractor for cleaning of the park, maintaining soft landscaping (trees) and grass cutting.

The water quality in the lake has also had some issues.

StarMetro in its Oct 5, 2023 report “Upgrades at Taman Aman not up to standard,” highlighted murky water conditions at the Taman Aman lake due to the aerators being turned off by irresponsible anglers.

According to Thayakugan, the aerators create movement in the water to improve water quality, and reduce the growth of algae.

“There is less algae now, but the aerators have pushed the algae to the side of the lake. MBPJ’s relevant officers don’t often respond in time to clear them up,” he said.

“Taman Aman is one of the better parks in Petaling Jaya because of its size and the lake, but the problem is lack of maintenance.

“MBPJ cannot just push responsibilities to other agencies and private contractors.”

A resident is urging MBPJ to look into the old steel grating at Taman Aman, Petaling Jaya.

When contacted, MBPJ said Tasik Aman was a lake with a low inflow and outflow of water.

“Among the methods carried out by MBPJ is to instal aerators for the purpose of ventilation, which can increase the oxygen content in the water and improve the quality of the water mechanically,” said MBPJ.

The city council also said it used the method of probiotic solution or “effective microorganism” to help reduce the algae problem.

“This method is more environmentally friendly and does not contain toxic substances. MBPJ will not use poisonous methods in managing this issue because the lake has its own ecosystem cycle.”

On the current water quality in the lake, MBPJ said water samples sent to Universiti Teknologi Mara’s A&A laboratory showed an increase in water quality index for November and December 2023.

“The water quality index went up from 78.3 to 80 at Level IIB (recreational use with body contact) in complying with Malaysia’s National Water Quality Standards,” added MBPJ.

A notice board at Taman Aman stating that MBPJ will be carrying out maintenance work from December 2023 to 2025.

On the problem of aerators being turned off by anglers, MBPJ sent out a circular on Dec 29 last year, stating that fishing activities in Petaling Jaya’s public parks were banned as of Jan 1 this year, and would only be allowed in Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya.

Anglers must apply for monthly or yearly angling passes from the city council’s Landscape Department.

However, Thayakuran said the circular was not enough.

“Fishing activities have been banned here, but people still do it. How much will it cost MBPJ to put notice boards informing the public about the ban on angling?” he asked.

One of the most serious issues facing Taman Aman is the problem of backflow from the nearby monsoon drain during heavy rain, which results in flooding at some parts of the park.

Thayakugan said there was no outlet for the water to flow, and the dumping of rubbish into drain by those living in nearby flats made it worse.

“There is narrowing of the drain and we have requested for the authorities to break the embankment. It’s been 10 years and the problem is not solved.

Parkgoers who frequent the Astaka Sports Complex are left in the dark after 7pm due to faulty LED light timer. — AIDA AHMAD/The Star

“In 2020, the entire park was flooded, and this is because of the drainage problem near the international school,” he said, adding that the city council had yet to come up with a comprehensive solution.

SS3 resident Zaidil Hanief’s favourite pastime is taking a walk at Taman Aman.

His only concern about safety is the old steel grating on the pedestrian walkway in the park, which he said was a hazard, especially to older folk.

Otherwise, he said the park was conducive as there was ample parking for those looking for some recreational activities, said the 45-year-old.

Lighting and fallen trees

For over a few months late last year, parkgoers who frequented the Astaka Sports Complex in Jalan Utara, Section 52, Petaling Jaya were left in the dark due to the non-functioning LED lights, which were supposed to turn on automatically at 7pm.

“MBPJ spent ratepayers’ money installing these lights but they don’t work half the time.

“We hope the area councillor can highlight this to MBPJ,” said senior citizen Phillip Chan, 63.

Frequent jogger S. Kumaran, 52, is appalled at the maintenance of the trees there.

“I have seen big tree trunks strewn about after a storm. But they are left just like that on the ground. The city council needs to do better,” he said.

MBPJ, in response, said it found a problem with timer for the LED lights at Astaka, and would be fixing the issue soon.

As for broken branches and fallen trees, it said contractors had cleared up the mess at the park.