By SARBAN SINGH
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A 10-MINUTE downpour is enough to send shivers down the spine of 64-year-old M. Kolandavelu.

The former Tenaga Nasional employee who has been living in Taman Nesa in Port Dickson for 25 years has been living in constant fear following a recent spate of floods in the low-lying area.

“Many families lost thousands of ringgit each during the most recent flood. We don’t only get mud water coming into our homes but oil residue from a nearby refinery as well,” he said.

Kolandavelu said it defied logic how the Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) could have approved a project located on a higher ground near Taman Nesa.

 For project: A lorry unloading earth at a site located higher than the Taman Nesa residential area in Port Dickson.

SHAH ALAM: As scrutiny deepened, the Selangor government and its subsidiary, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB), yesterday stepped up their communication drive over sand mining at the periphery of Paya Indah Wetlands.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he had yet to visit the area but he had despatched the chief executive officer and the chairman of KSSB. Sand mining is being carried out on a 48ha site in Olak Lempit, 20m from the southern boundary of the wetlands.

Significantly, KSSB, a whollyowned subsidiary of Menteri Besar Incorporated, said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for sand mining had been approved for a new and bigger area covering 80.92ha, also in Olak Lempit.

KSSB executive director Ramli Abd Majeed, who took reporters to the current sand mine, said the new location was 2km away from the existing mine.

By STUART MICHAEL
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WORKS to stop the erosion of the banks of Sungai Samak near the Dahlia Apartments in Taman Tun Teja, Rawang, is now in progress.

Yesterday, an excavator was seen digging to widen the riverbank.

On May 15, StarMetro highlighted the issue under the headline “Residents: Repair riverbank before disaster strikes”.

Taman Tun Teja Residents Committee deputy chairman Mohd Shafie Tasli in a statement issued yesterday said there were a few houses and apartments near the riverbank that could collapse if no action was taken to stop the erosion.

 For smoother flow: A culvert placed at the side of the riverbank to ease the wateflow at Sungai Samak in Taman Tun Teja, Rawang.

He added that six months ago, the shortcut across the river from Taman Tun Perak to Taman Sri Bayu was washed away by silt and mud from the nearby hill due to heavy rain.

JOHOR BARU: Contingency plans to contain the oil spill caused by the collision between two vessels at the Singapore Strait recently have failed as the spillage has reached the country’s shores, said Malaysian Nature Society Johor chairman Assoc Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed.

“This is a test for us as it involves 2,000 tonnes of crude oil. The relevant authorities need to study their containment methods and improve on them before something more serious occurs,” he said.

While the impact of the oil spill has yet to be known, many fishermen are affected and their livelihoods are at stake, he said.

He added that the local authorities should protect the interest of the people living around the area.

Dr Maketab also said the Tanjung Pengerang area was notorious for illegal oil dumping activities.

If left unresolved, water pollution due to oil spills and illegal oil dumping would have an adverse effect on marine life and fishermen, he said.