KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Seventeen land lots within the Jinjang and Batu flood retention ponds have been alienated to developers since 2015, causing an estimated 70 per cent shrinkage of the ponds’ capacity.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, when disclosing the problem, urged the government to take the issue seriously and ordered the stoppage of any development applications on the land there.
“The Madani government cannot continue to allow development that compromises the function of flood retention ponds,” Yeoh said at a press conference here.
“The interests of the people and the safety of city residents must be prioritised even if the measures taken require firm decisions to rectify long-inherited problems,” the Segambut MP added.
From the 17 lots, one had already been developed. Yeoh said a technical assessment by the city’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) indicated the developed lot had become a serious hindrance to service works at the retention ponds.
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had since ordered a total stoppage of all development applications for the remaining lots, and any approval will hinge on the developers meeting the stringent requirements set out by the JPS.
When asked why the plots of land were “alienated” to developers and if it was legal, Yeoh said the approval was given by the Cabinet at the time, although she stopped short of detailing which administration gave the waiver to develop the plots on the initially 33.5-hectare pond.
“The surrounding land should not be developed. KL is already short of land, and we don’t have any more flood retention ponds,” she said.
At the same time, the Federal Territories Department (JWS) had formed a task force to strengthen coordination on flood mitigation efforts with other agencies.
“In this regard, DBKL will not approve Planning Permissions for any development applications on flood retention pond land until development conditions stipulated by JPS are fully complied with to ensure the ponds’ original function and maintenance access are preserved,” Yeoh said.
