A STATE-LEVEL public inquiry must investigate into the housing projects in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, Selangor, which is said to had been a flood retention area, said environmental groups.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meena Raman said a public inquiry will reveal how housing projects were approved in Taman Sri Muda, though the township was designated as a water retention area.

The township, which is surrounded by the Klang River, is one of the worst flood-hit areas in Selangor over the weekend, following 48 hours of continuous heavy rain.

“We need an inquiry as this is a major disaster and there are fatalities,” Meena told The Malaysian Insight.

“The purpose (of the inquiry) is to get to the bottom of what lessons can be learnt and rectification measures taken, how it happened and who is responsible.

“Justice must be brought to the people of Sri Muda.”

Social media has been buzzing with talk about the development history of Taman Sri Muda, after a post that alleged the township was meant to be a water retention area for floods, but sold to developers to build houses went viral.

The post comes attached with a newspaper clipping from the New Straits Times in 1995, showing a photo of floods in Taman Sri Muda in December that year.

A The Edge Properties overview also said the township continues to experience recurring floods after 1995.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, at a press conference on the flood situation, did not deny the claim when asked if the township had been built in a water retention area.

He said the focus now is to resolve ongoing flood-related matters instead of playing the blame game.

“These people have been living there since 1995. The issue is for us to solve the problem. Do not tell me that we have to tear down houses that have been there for 40 years,” he was quoted as saying by The Vibes.

“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.”

Amirudin has been menteri besar since 2018.

Meena said a public inquiry will also help residents take legal action against the authorities if they want to.

“A construction site collapsed in Penang many years ago, killing several workers, and a state-level inquiry was held.

“The same thing happened when the Bright Sparklers Fireworks factory in Sungai Buloh exploded (in 1991).

“The issue of taking the authorities to court is there, but for residents to get to that stage, an inquiry must be facilitated.

“With a commission of inquiry, you will need independent commissioners and all the evidence in the public domain. So, a lot of questions need to be answered.

“A commission of inquiry will extract all the facts.”

Though Taman Sri Muda is the focus right now, the larger issue is to ensure the authorities do not develop areas that serve a purpose to protect people from natural disasters, she added.

“What we want is not just (for the) residents in Sri Muda. What we want is to see no such conversion of designated areas again.”

Meena agreed with the menteri besar that immediate flood-related issues must first be resolved, but said the latter should not disregard the past, even if it is not his administration’s fault.

“That is why we need to look at the past. If an area has been designated as a water retention area but houses were built on it, where the people are now suffering, how are you going to rectify it?

“Will enlarging the existing small retention ponds solve the problem? The issue is one that we need to look at. If they had designated it as a water retention area, they must have known that it is flood-prone. How can you say ‘do not lay blame’?

“What we are saying is that some heads have to roll. You cannot absolve yourself from responsibility. Although it has been a few decades, 1995 is not that long ago. Surely some agencies have to be taken to task.”

She said an inquiry can assess whether laws were broken in the past, adding that “people dying is a major tragedy”.

Twenty-seven people have died from floods as of yesterday morning, 20 in Selangor and seven in Pahang.

Of the deaths in Selangor, nine have been reported in Seksyen 25, Taman Sri Muda.

Association for the Protection of the Natural Heritage of Malaysia president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the township should not have been developed if the authorities knew it was a water retention area.

“Clearly it is bad planning. How was this allowed?

“What ought to have happened is that there must have been an application for planning permission. If it is supposed to be a water retention area, it is wrong on part of the authority to have allowed what they did.”

The environmentalist said it is well-known that the local geography and weather makes the country vulnerable to floods.

“We should not blame the rain for causing floods. It is the act of humans as they constantly destroy natural resources to keep building.”

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan in a tweet said he is looking to gather a team of lawyers to provide pro bono legal advice for flood survivors and victims once the situation subsides.

More than 70,000 people have been displaced due to the floods, with about 26,000 of them in Selangor alone. – December 23, 2021.