KUALA LUMPUR – Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil revealed that he had been warned that the flood retention pond at Lorong Maarof in Bangsar, which is under his constituency, would be affected by development.
Speaking to The Vibes, Fahmi said he was alerted by local residents last year, when the 2019 Auditor-General’s Report highlighted that six retention ponds, used for flood prevention, had been earmarked for development.
However, due to “no specifics” on the matter, he said no further action was taken.
“At that time, we did not have any specifics as to who the buyer may be, what the plan to develop was, or what they plan to do with this retention pond,” he said when contacted by The Vibes.
“As the MP, I was not made aware and I have no details. I’m kept in the dark on the status of this retention pond.
Even right now, no one from DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) has given me any specific information on this matter.”
The Vibes on Saturday reported a DBKL source as saying that the development of a luxury apartment project is being approved to take place on the edge of the artificial pond, which will be upgraded to become enclosed.
“The retention pond will stay; DBKL does not have plans to close the pond.
“The development will not be on the pond itself, but on the surrounding areas.”
The pond is surrounded by Lorong Maarof on one side and a small woodland on the other.
It is also learned that the permissible density of the area has been increased from 400 persons per acre to 1,600.
The source, who spoke to The Vibes on condition of anonymity, also said that DBKL had held discussions and acquired approval from residents in surrounding areas in accordance with Rule 5 of the Federal Territory Planning Act 1982.
For the record, Rule 5 allows for public participation in planning and development control by the government.
However, residents in the affluent Bukit Bandaraya area were apparently not made aware of the development project.
Bukit Bandaraya Residents’ Association advisor Datuk M. Ali rubbished the local government’s claim that engagements were held prior to the conditional approval given to Sri Haneco Sdn Bhd in April for the development along Lorong Maarof.
Instead, Ali said residents have been promised, at their request, that DBKL would incorporate and link up the retention pond and surrounding areas to the Jalan Rumpai recreational park, with negotiations ongoing since the early 2000s.
Fahmi, who finds it difficult to comprehend how such a small area could be given approval for large development purposes, called on DBKL to clarify if an approval was granted for the high-end condominium development.
Based on a search on Online Mapping PBRKL2020 as of this morning, the location (Lot 481350) appears to be used as ‘Infrastructure & Utilities’.
“Therefore, it is very strange when it was reported that it will become a luxury condominium.
“My stand in this case is similar to the issue of Batu 4 1/2 Flood Reservoir in Jalan Klang Lama – that Kuala Lumpur needs well-functioning flood retention ponds.
“It’s not only that all the existing reservoirs need to be maintained. I expect that we need more reservoir capacity than we have now, especially when there is a climate crisis like we are witnessing now,” he said in a Facebook post. – The Vibes, September 5, 2022
