First pump house under mitigation project is ready

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THE opening of a new RM1.6mil pump house has brought relief to residents of flood-prone Taman Desa Damai, Bukit Mertajam.

They no longer have to worry about their homes during heavy rain.

The construction of the pump house, called Rumah Pam Desa Damai ‘A’, started in November last year and was completed last month.

State Agriculture, Agro-based Industries, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Law Choo Kiang said the state government spent an additional RM1.1mil on the drainage system there and RM1mil more to divert a monsoon drain directly to the pump house.

He said the pump house was part of the state’s Sungai Rambai flood mitigation project.

The project also includes a RM2.9mil Rumah Pam Desa Damai ‘B’ and RM2mil Rumah Pam Taman Makok Zon 1 and Zon 3, both of which are presently under construction.

Flood relief: Residents visiting the new Sungai Rambai pump house in Taman Desa Damai, Bukit Mertajam

These two pump houses, he said, were expected to be ready by next April.

“We also hope the value of the property in the area, which had been badly affected because of the floods, will appreciate now that the new pump house is operational,” Law said before opening the pump house recently.

He said the pump house was installed with two automatic garbage trap units that could collect and dump rubbish from the waterway into garbage bins.

He also said the pump house was used to pump out water from the housing scheme to a nearby monsoon drain, called Parit 4, which channelled the water into Sungai Juru and subsequently into the sea.

Law urged the residents to do their part and stop throwing rubbish indiscriminately into the waterways to prevent the choking of monsoon drains.

Padang Lalang assemblyman Tan Cheong Heng said that without a pump house in the area, the houses and commercial lots there were often inundated within 30 minutes after a downpour.

Taman Desa Damai Environment Resource Centre chairman Ng Tho Heng, who has been staying in the area for 25 years, said floods had been a frequent problem for the residents for many years.

“We hope the state will construct a pump house in Kampung Tok Kangar, Juru, so that water from Parit 4 near our houses can be pumped out faster into the Juru River and subsequently to the sea,” Ng said.

“Without a pump house in Juru, Parit 4 may easily overflow when there is heavy rainfall, and this will defeat the purpose of spending millions of ringgit on the Sungai Rambai Flood mitigation project,” he said.