KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Over-development in Segambut and other areas of Kuala Lumpur has contributed to the rising number of flash floods, said Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh.
She added that one of her main objectives as the newly elected MP is to push for a gazetted plan for the constituency and state to curb the instances of flash floods.
“This has been one of our concerns even during the campaign period before the elections. Flash floods in the middle of the city have got to do with over-development and no proper discharge plan,” Yeoh said.
“We need to engage City Hall and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, this is what we will do.”
“Now City Hall is focusing on clearing debris from the freak storms in Segambut, but flash floods in general are not just in Segambut,” she added.
Flash floods in the region have been a long-standing problem where thousands of locals have been previously left scrambling to find shelter elsewhere during the monsoon season and bouts of heavy rain.
Speaking on public safety in her constituency, Yeoh told the Malay Mail she was still learning the ropes and hoped to reduce crime rates in Segambut through effective engagement with authorities.
“I have had great help from Lip Eng who guided me throughout the transitional process. I am still learning and have engaged with local authorities to understand the cause and age range of those who commit crime in the area,” she said.
“Speaking to the Sentul Ibu Pejabat Daerah, we’ve learnt that drugs are a major factor in the cause of crime, so we will work to address this issue.”
Yeoh also said that introducing more street lights in the area would likely help make it easier for authorities to catch perpetrators where Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) units are installed.
“We have CCTVs in many areas, but it does not help authorities catch the culprits as the quality of the videos is sometimes too low,” she said.
“By introducing more lights in the poorer areas as well as the richer, we hope that it will ease the process of bringing the culprits to justice.
“In order to bring such reform agendas into parliament, we at first have to have a firm grasp of the issues at hand.”
