FLASH floods at the Sungai Besi Expressway (SBE) U-turn heading to Kuala Lumpur and turning left into Bluwater Estate (BE) is making life difficult for motorists and nearby residents.

The cause of the flooding could be due to the inability of a retention pond in BE to hold heavy flow of storm water from Bukit Belimbing, said Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) assistant senior engineer Ibrahim Yasis at a press conference held by Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Also present to air their grievances were BE Residents Association chairman Ng Chai Heng and Besraya business development unit head Md Zohir Harun as well as Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) councillors SG Thamilarusu and Wong Yii Seang, MPSJ engineering department senior assistant director Rostam Salleh and representatives from the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

Md Zohir said control centre staff endured tongue lashings from motorists whenever flash floods occur.

“Motorists are angry because of stalled vehicles and traffic jams.

“The highway concessionaire said it also had to endure motorists’ allegations of poor road design and shoddy drainage maintenance,” he said.

The authorities, however, were unable to resolve the problem as suspected sedimentation blocking drainage pipes and other storm water management issues were on private land.

Ng said though the matter of drainage and storm water management was raised with the developer many times, their grievances had fallen on deaf ears.

“We have been fighting for this for seven years,” said Ng.

He said when flash floods occur on the SBE, water levels at the entrance to the housing estate would reach knee-high and flood the security office and guard house.

A closer inspection by StarMetro found the guard locker rooms and office looked damp and mouldy due to flood waters.

Residents were also unable to take the route home, leaving them stranded until the flood waters subside.

Some have taken to using an alternative route, driving against traffic on a bumpy side road beside the SILK Highway.

Ng also pointed out that

residents were dealing with

other maintenance issues such

as potholes, faulty street lights,

indiscrminate rubbish dumping and sewage overflow.

Urging the authorities to look into the problem and find a solution, Ean Yong said residents also expressed worry about who would take charge of maintenance in the housing area as it was handed over to a liquidator a month ago. When contacted, Goh Tan Cheng of PKF Malaysia, the company in charge of the liquidating process for the developer of BE, said it would look into the problem together with DID and MPSJ.

Goh, however, contended that the flooding could also be due to water coming from other areas and that the retention pond in BE was not the only cause.

On the maintenance of roads and other facilities in the housing estate, Goh said a proposal had been given to residents but they have yet to receive a reply.