EKVE construction source of murky water in Sungai Klang

Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Irrigation and Drainage Department (WPKL DID) deputy director S. Ratna Rajah said investigation on Feb 16 found that murky water began to flow from Sungai Ampang in Ampang Recreational Forest, Selangor, near the Ampang Treatment Plant Intake before flowing into the Sungai Klang due to uncontrolled land clearing.

"We found that there was a trace of silt flow in the river coming from the EKVE project site in the Ampang Recreational Forest due to the ongoing earthworks.

"The murky water can be caused by sediment debris that enters the river due to the contractor failing to implement the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESCP) or lenient ESCP practice at project site which is actively carrying out earthworks such as land clearing, reclamation or slope cutting," he told Bernama.

Any development should comply with the ESCP and developers need to ensure no silt or erosion flows out of the project site, he said.

"Developers are also required to submit ESCP for local authority (PBT) approval before starting work," he said.

Ratna Rajah said if the ESCP was not implemented during the construction phase, the murky water situation would worsen when the rainwater and soil entered the Sungai Ampang.

"Sungai Ampang meets Sungai Klang in Kampung Berembang or more precisely at the SMART Control Centre.

"So, from there, (water flow) enters the Sungai Klang and flows directly to the city centre (Masjid Jamek), then Brickfields before heading south and then downstream to Selangor and finally reaching the sea in Port Klang," he said.

Ratna Rajah said the WPKL DID would report the matter to the Department of Environment and local authority for further action including enforcement.