HULU LANGAT, Nov 30 — Villagers at Kampung Felcra Sungai Semungkis here have faced landslides, floods and personal losses which they blame on the construction of the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE).

They claim that for over a year, work on the 39.5km (phases one and two) project has caused them nothing but misery.

Village spokesman Junaidi Jamaluddin, 39, said construction work had left the area constantly filled with sediment.

"The roads have turned into rivers of mud as water from the hill flows right down whenever it rains...there is nothing to stop it,” Junaidi told reporters at the Raydha Hijrah orphanage and tahfiz religious school here where he volunteers.

The community of 200 residents is forced to brave slippery roads each day as they make their way in and out of the village or even visit neighbours.

"It is even worse at night. If you think it was difficult getting here, imagine our daily situation.”

Junaidi, an engineer by training, said he was certain the construction work is the cause of the floods and movement of debris in the area.

"I have documented the nearby river and tributaries since 2013 and the mudslides and flooding has indeed worsened since Sept last year when work began.”

He added the flood mitigation efforts undertaken by the developer had not worked.

"Now, even after 15 minutes of rain we experience flooding. The attempt to divert the flow of water is not working; the flood mitigation works and retention ponds the developers built have not helped.”

Hayatul Uloom Learning Centre headmaster Shahrir Hussin, 67, claimed the construction work had also polluted the village’s source of clean water, forcing residents to lay water pipes further.

"We could get clean water from 150m upstream before but as the pollution has worsened, we have had to move hundreds more metres upstream and bear the cost ourselves.

The villagers listed several demands to rectify the situation including obtaining compensation for the loss of clean water and for material losses like appliances, vehicles, livestock and fish farms.

They also demanded a 24-hour emergency centre to be set up and staffed by a crew capable of responding within 20 minutes, and an "environmental audit” to be conducted to ensure the development meets all criteria and standard operating procedures.

The media briefing was co-organised by three environmental pressure groups — Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka), Malaysia Nature Society and Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES).

Peka president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the development would affect the wider Klang Valley area, as the loss of the catchment area and water pollution from heavy siltation would strain supplies.

"This problem becomes increasingly severe during the rainy season as water rushes down the bare hills carrying mud and sediment into the nearby rivers and tributaries,” she said.

TrEES director Leela Panikkar said the authorities needed to hear the people out and to ensure their grievances were addressed, and for the development to be halted pending a resolution to the problem.

"Until these problems can be resolved, it would be an act of good faith to halt all work on the EKVE in the area.”

In response to the residents’ claims, a spokesman for EKVE Sdn Bhd, the developer of the expressway, said the company had complied with the Erosion Sedimentation Control Plan approved by the Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department.

"The plan is a guideline for our base management practices including proper management of silt traps and sedimentation ponds, mitigation of inactive exposed slope and constant earth drain works to intercept water run-off during heavy down pours.”

He added that the company was "mindful of its development and took responsible steps by working closely with the Department of Environment, the Kajang Municipal Council and the Malaysian Highway Authority.

"We would like to establish our position in adhering to all development rules and regulations as stipulated. We have taken competent steps to mitigate all issues on site to ensure continuous safety of the community around the area.”

When completed, the expressway will connect Ukay Perdana in Ampang and Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang, and will form part of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road.

The RM 1.55 billion project is slated to be completed in 2019.