May 062010
A concerned Penangite sent me these photos of a stretch of road in Tanjung Bunga that is prone to flash floods. No prizes for spotting the reason.
Not the most brilliant design for keeping flash floods at bay. When the rain pelts down, flash floods materialise within minutes, rising to the level of car exhaust pipes.
A painted sign on the rock wall proclaims “Welcome to Tanjung Bunga”. Whoever painted that sign probably missed the irony. Maybe it should more appropriately read “Welcome to the Tanjung Bunga concrete jungle”.
From the photographs, the rock (retaining) walls are built for land slide mitigation.
The many holes and pipes in the wall are for the drainage of (rain) water trapped in the soil of the retaining wall. Without them, the weakened soil may give way and cause a landslide.
They are not meant to keep flash floods away.
Flash floods happen because of poor drainage of run off water from impervious surfaces caused by buildings and infrastructure construction, including that of retaining walls in those pictures above.
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The solution is so simple.. just get the drainage done… what is LGE doing? Still want to vote for DAP?
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Simple flash floods and drainage also cannot solve but we want to venture into building a nuclear plant?
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Would like to vote for Adrian Phang.
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You have to ask state government. Don’t blame the previous government after more than 2 years in power unless you are such a sleeping administration.
I’m very sure that plenty of complaints have been raised. Unless you throw it into dustbin, you must aware this is recurring problem that must be solved ASAP.
So, what is the problem ??? Lack of fund or will ??? Incompetent or something else ??? Need approval from someone higher up (possibly the hero) ???
Or until there is by-election, the problem will not solve ???
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That retaining wall was built a few years before the elevated road was built. It was built because (if anyone can remember) that stretch of hillside came crashing down into the Penang Swimming Club. The flash floods are caused not by the retaining wall but, due to the lack of proper drainage. There is only one (inadequate)drain on the left side of the road. The concrete wall/divider on the right hand side has no drainage holes for the water to escape also the road surface resembles a water slide at a theme park as it waves up and down causing flood prone water retention. As such the rain water has nowhere to go and the road becomes a river. It doesn’t take an engineer with a degree to work this one out!
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They shows Malaysian Engineer’s calibre. Population is increasing and just like the early settlers, they clear the land and built the famous Ayer Item pagoda and looking for good fungshui. Others just emgrate overseas insearch of green pasture ie clearing more than.
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In many housing projects, it is incumbent on the developer to ensure that the proper infrastructures are in place (eg. sufficient drainage according to the specifications for run off water). Unfortunately, many don’t but the developers somehow still manage to get the OCs for those dwellings.
Finally, tax payers who are unrelated to the project end up footing the bill.
We can only lament on the evils of corruption.
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Developers are allowed to have their concrete poured up to the very border of their land.
There is no exposed earth — you know, EARTH. EARTH that soaks up the water??? Human beings live on EARTH not CONCRETE.
Developers! You are so @#$#@#%$#@$ ruthless and greedy!
Whatever Professionals — you who design and sign the plans! Aiyoh, #@$$#$$ embarrassing.
Approving Authorities! (Are you) $$#$#$$$$ corrupted(?)
KTK and croonies $$$$$$.
And Property purchasers! We are so @#@#@#
stupid because we have cornered ourselves into a choiceless situation. You want to live on Penang Island, this is what you get!
LGE stop this nonsense practised by the old gang. Look at the whole batu ferringhi stretch — the same modus operandi over and over again.
Come on, have a heart and use common sense.
Water pouring on to the narrow winding batu ferringhi roads???? What is going to happen to motorists??? And you talk about bicycle lanes???
Cyclists risk being washed off the cliff surely!
And stop passing the buck!! $@#$%%%$#%%%
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Koh Tsu Koon uesd to live just round the corner, well almost! Go-lah, get an accountability from him.
After all, that political eunuch was your assemblyman for donkey years.
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Anil,
That cute little wall painting was done to precisely protest against over development. Please see http://tanjongbunga.blogspot.com/2010/04/welcome-to-flower-cape-by-now-everybody.html
Gerakan K:
You see, Koh Tsu Koon in one of his last months as CM verbally instructed MPPP planners in a meeting to literally re-color the map of Tanjong Bungah into high-density “primary developmenmt corridor,” even though the 2007 Structure Plan text referred to it as a low-density “secondary corridor.” This act was noted in the meeting minutes.
But the DAP government is not blameless. Even though they have been reminded of this error and non-transparent planning, CM LGE and several state Exco members are playing deft and dumb, and cozying up to developers in favor of higher density, before traffic and other problems are solved.
The exception is the TB state assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu who is upfront and clearly in favor of the residents’ position of proper development planning.
Hey, I’m not anti-development. But we need sensible, transparent, rule based, and sustainable development.
Also see
http://tanjongbunga.blogspot.com/2010/04/forum-report-overdevelopment-along.html
http://tanjongbunga.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-declaration-from-april-17-forum-on.html
(I put up that blog posts for the TB resident association but did not write them).
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