E Contrario

The residents of Taman Seri Pelangi are an unhappy lot this Raya. This year Aidil Fitri fell on the 9th Month of Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is the period of heavy rain.

On the second day of Aidil Fitri, Kuala Lumpur (in fact throughout the country) was hit with heavy downpour. Several places in Kuala Lumpur experienced serious flooding.

Houses in Taman Seri Pelangi Sentul were among the unfortunate ones. Many residents had gone back to their kampong when the flood hit. A few families who stayed in the area were trapped by water. Those in the lower areas had to be evacuated.

The others came back only to see their houses filled with mud and furniture destroyed.

As soon as I returned from my break in Melaka, I rush to visit the area. The report of flood was aired on TV3 the previous night.

I visited the residents on October 16 (Tuesday) morning. I also found out that a small delegation had gone to the JKR and met Samy Vellu. He promised to come to survey the situation at 17:30hr that afternoon.

Later I heard from Kak Mas, a member from KeADILan Batu division, that Samy did not come.

Finally Samy came the next day (Oct 17). He immediately promised to pay RM2000 per family as compensation.

The JKR had to acknowledge that the flood was not nature’s disaster but human made mistake. The main cause of the flood in Tamn Seri Pelangi was poor drainage planning. The under-construct DUKE Highway is linking Sentul and Karak Highway.

The original drainage had been blocked off and this resulted water flowing into the low lying residential area. Prior to the construction work, the area never experienced any flood. Since the road work, there have been several flash flood frequently. In recent months, the residents had undergone a few floods. The flood on Oct 14 was the most serious. There was another last month.

It is only natural that they demand the contractor to be more responsible. In fact, their problems cannot be compensated by money alone.

A senior citizen showing me the damages in his house

A resident explaining the construction work causing problem in drainage

The lady husband was KeADILan activist who had just passed away last month. She just had a foot operation.

Damaged furniture

Traces of flood still visible

Cabinet damaged by water

Construction work of DUKE Highway was the culprit of flooding