HULU LANGAT: Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), an agency under the Housing and Local Government Ministry, is committed to continuing clean-up efforts in areas affected by the floods in Selangor.

SWCorp engineer, Mohd Rohaidy Zulkifli, said the efforts, joined by the waste concessionaire Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, started last Thursday and managed to clean 400 tonnes of rubbish in the Hulu Langat area thus far, providing some relief to the residents.

"We will try to solve the garbage problem here as soon as possible because this garbage has started to smell, and will cause other problems if not solved immediately, such as mosquitoes, rats and so on," he told reporters when met at a temporary dumpsite in Sungai Serai, Hulu Langat today.

Meanwhile, Kampung Dusun Nanding village head, Mohd Yusof Abdul Manan, said the narrow and congested road conditions in the residential area affected by the floods made it difficult to carry out cleaning work.

"In the early days, residents put large rubbish such as furniture in front of the house and many cars were submerged and couldn't be rescued, resulting in many roads being closed, and it was difficult for those in charge to access this area to do cleaning work.

"However, on the eighth day, I feel a little relieved to see that the condition is getting cleaner, and many damaged cars are being removed," he said.

Mohd Yusof said it was safe to say that the cleaning work in Taman Sri Nanding, Hulu Langat, had been 50 per cent completed. However, there was still a lot of cleaning work needed, especially in the area behind the housing estate.

Asked about the Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) announced by the government to help the flood victims, he said that it could, to some extent, help ease the burden of the affected residents.

"I welcome the incentive from the government to help ease the burden of the affected victims, so that they can start buying the basic necessities they need," he said.

Earlier, the government announced that it would channel BWI assistance of RM1,000 to all heads of households affected by the floods.

-- BERNAMA