Pasaraya Matahari located at Klang Utama was among one of the hardest hit areas by last year's flood. The city council had decided to upgrade the piping and drainage system there, but due to the long-term irresponsible disposal of grease and cooking oil, the drainage system is heavily clogged by stubborn pile-up, resulting in the delay of the project. 

According to the contractors that were cleaning the drains in the area, not only were the drains accumulating large amounts of coagulated grease and cooking oil, some vendors in the area even also took up areas around covered-manholes. As the authorities removed the drain covers, they found even more trash and cooking waste, including chicken intestines and feathers. All of these are the main reason why the area's drainage system was not operating at their usual capacity.

Dr. Quah Perng Fei, the city councillor in charge of the district, pointed out to the media that the draubage and roads in the district have not been improved for a long time, so he suggested to the Klang City Council last year to allocate funds to improve the local infrastructure. The relevant proposal was finally approved by the city council and was launched in mid-January this year. It was scheduled to be completed by the end of March, but unfortunately it has been delayed due to the above-mentioned difficulties. 

"The city council used RM700,000 of the Malaysian Road Recording System (MARRIS) allocation for upgrading purposes, but now it has encountered obstacles from irresponsible dumping by businessmen to illegal sewage discharge by restaurants."

He said that he had arranged for officials from the city council engineering team to conduct on-site inspections to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

"Contractors have to resolve the above issues before they can proceed with the work, which causes delays in the completion of the upgrading works."

Dr. Quah Perng Fei urged businesses, especially restaurant operators, to cooperate, so as to prevent the infrastructure construction from being upgraded on one side, while the other side continues to be destroyed and sabotaged, which will eventually lead to the inability to completely solve the drainage problem.

He said that after the completion of the project, he will arrange enforcement actions, mainly reminding businesses to perform their duties and improve their business quality.

"I also recommend that the city council revoke or refuse to renew the licenses of offending businesses as an example."

He also reminded businesses that their business activities are limited to in-store operations and should not occupy space outside the store, including corridors, side alleys, and back alleys.

"Restaurant operators must clean the oil filters every day to prevent oil stains from draining into the channels and causing clogging problems."

Reference Links -
[1] e-Nanyang
[2] China Press