SHAH ALAM – The floodgates near Taman Sri Muda could not be opened seeing that its shaft and the gates itself were badly damaged during the floods that had taken Selangor by storm.
Responding to a viral video earlier this morning by Twitter user @vijaymunisamy, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari told a press conference that he was aware of the incident.
As he was about to explain the issue, he received a message from Infrastructure and Agriculture exco Izham Hashim who was on site to take a look at the issue.
“The shaft and floodgates are damaged. The shaft is bent. That’s why (earlier) I announced RM100 million to settle all these issues,” said Amirudin.
When asked if the damage was a result of the floods, he candidly replied: “Of course it’s due to the floods. It’s impossible the damage was done by Godzilla.”
In the video, Twitter user @vijaymunisamy had accused the Irrigation and Drainage Department of not doing its job and refusing to let the floodwater out.
No wonder situation still bad at Sri Muda! pic.twitter.com/hgxk4JW72S
— v.m (@vijaymunisamy) December 21, 2021
Prior to the press conference, Community Welfare, Employees and Caring exco Ganabatirau Veraman told The Vibes that he had visited the location at around noon and noticed that the water pump was functioning.
However, his efforts to contact DID officials to ask about the floodgates went unanswered.
When asked regarding expert observation that Section 25 of Taman Sri Muda was supposed to be a water retention area, Amirudin said that the state government’s focus right now is to resolve all the problems instead of placing blame.
“These people have been living there since 1995. Now the issue is for us to solve the problem. Don’t tell me we have to tear down houses that have been there for 40 years.
“Even if we want to trace back the developer, it has been four decades. It is true that someone else developed it, but I have to deal with it. There are a few small retention ponds near the area.
“We are looking to enlarge them or make them deeper,” said Amirudin. – The Vibes, December 21, 2021
