Flood retention pond near Old Klang Road leased for RM19.5 mil?

KUALA LUMPUR – A retention pond at Batu 4½ near Old Klang Road is among six water catchment areas in Kuala Lumpur that have been thrust into the spotlight over redevelopment plans, despite the Klang Valley seeing the worst flooding in over 30 years.

Although the site has the capacity to hold up to 15 million litres of rainfall, the 1.6ha site has been tipped for mixed commercial and residential development in recent years, documents sighted by The Vibes showed.

While the current status of the plans is unknown, the Kuala Lumpur Land Works Committee had apparently approved a 99-year lease to a new developer called Sri Adara Sdn Bhd for a premium of RM19.5 million, according to a letter by the Federal Territories Land and Mines Department dated September 17, 2020.

The letter notes that the company’s December 13, 2019 application to lease the government-owned site under Section 76(a) National Land Code (NLC) was successful.

It also allowed for 80% of the area to be turned into service apartments, while 20% was meant for affordable housing, apart from a recreational park and other amenities.

The department also required Sri Adara to relocate 52 lots of workshops, with all related costs to be borne by the private developer.

The developer was also asked to pay the premium within three months of approval, the letter undersigned by the Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines department administrator, Hafeez Abdul Aziz stated.

However, the company had failed to pay the premium and sought an extension on December 16, 2020, another letter signed by the then Federal Territories Land and Mines department director Madlinza Masdah showed.

Despite the failed payment, the department had granted a six-month extension on January 15, 2021, which allowed the company to pay the premium before June 21, the same year.

Lembah Pantai MP seeking answers in Parliament

With the current status of the land unknown to the public, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil – whose constituency covers the site – said he is seeking answers from Parliament when it convenes for a special sitting on the recent flood disaster on January 20.

“The question is, how was this land transfer approved when it involved a company that was formed not more than a year from the application?” Fahmi told The Vibes when met recently.

“The company also saw a change of directors and shareholders mid-way through the dealings, which is very concerning and raises even more questions.”

The recent wave of floods began on December 16 and had struck eight states, leading to at least 54 deaths, and temporarily displacing tens of thousands of residents, especially in the Klang Valley.

Kg Pasir in Lembah Pantai, which sits less than 1km away from the retention pond, was also one of the areas hit by the deadly floods in late December.

Fahmi said the situation could have been much worse for the surrounding areas had that retention pond not been in place.

Although the disaster was attributed to extraordinary rainfall of up to 400mm in the Klang Valley, the aftermath of the flooding saw questions raised over poor town planning and flood mitigation measures.

According to Berita Harian on January 10, two out of the six Kuala Lumpur retention ponds that allegedly had their land status changed are currently undergoing the process of redevelopment.

The daily reported that the sites around the Wahyu and Delima ponds near Taman Wahyu are being “upgraded” for mega-projects, although construction has not commenced on the ponds themselves.

The report also highlighted that the Nanyang, Batu, and Batu 4½ retention ponds have not seen any development, while the project on the Taman Desa pond has been cancelled.

However, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall is still considering approvals for the developments on the ponds.

He said the approvals will not be granted if government agencies objected to the projects.

Retention ponds will be protected, says federal territories minister

Amid the outcry by opposition politicians such as Fahmi and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim assured that retention ponds in the city will be protected from any commercial projects.

“To me, surrounding areas of retention ponds must be preserved at the same capacity, while taking into account conditions set by the Irrigation and Drainage Department,” Shahidan was quoted as saying.

“The issue of preserving retention areas and their capacity was discussed three months ago.”

In another development on January 15, Federal Territories Land and Mines Department director Datuk Muhammad Yasir Yahya told Berita Harian that the Baru, Nanyang, Delima and Taman Wahyu retention ponds given to third parties for development will retain their function, with surrounding areas to be upgraded for recreational facilities.

Yasir also said the approval for the development of two ponds in Taman Desa has been cancelled.

He said the development applicant for the pond in Batu 4½ was required to implement upgrading works, as the site will serve as a public recreational park and as a water catchment area.

Meanwhile, on January 4, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it has launched a probe into the status of the six retention ponds.

Yeoh had earlier called on the graft busters to investigate the approval of the land transfers involving the water catchment areas.

The Segambut MP had referred to the 2019 Auditor-General’s report that showed the Kuala Lumpur mayor had approved 943 development plans between 2015 and 2020, despite them being inconsistent with the KL City Plan 2020. – The Vibes, January 19, 2022