The Minister of Environment and Water, Dato’ Sri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, in a brief statement issued on his Facebook, has promised to look into the demands of Taman Melawati residents who took to the street in a mass protest last week and expressed unhappiness against the stalled sewerage project that have been causing inconvenience and hazard to the community for the past couple of years.
On Friday 17 December, 2021, his Political Secretary Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marsuki paid a visit to Taman Melawati and discussed with the Chairman of Taman Melawati Residents Association (TMRA) Encik Azhari Abd Taharim and Deputy Chairman of TMRA Encik Mohan Satkunasingam.
“We also humbly requested from Dr Mohd Zuhdi and the office of the Minister to source extensive information from Sewerage Services Department (‘Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pembetungan’ or ‘JPP’) especially regarding the funding issue for the project.
“We would also like to express our gratitude to Yang Berusaha Dr Mohd Zuhdi, who was also accompanied by the Press Secretary to the Minister Encik Mior Isfandi Mior Azizan, for visiting the abandoned project site – a 300-metres closed road section of Jalan Kolam Air – located between Desa View Tower and Bukit Mas Taman Melawati,” said TMRA in a statement today.
Taman Melawati residents have been denied access to their normal route since 2018 until today. This abandoned work site is one of the six incomplete sewerage upgrading works scattered around Taman Melawati.
Since it has been delayed for far too long under three different Federal Governments administration, Taman Melawati residents are wondering about Putrajaya’s seriousness and whether the Federal Government will inject fresh fund in order to complete this project, labelled as ‘Sick Project’ (Projek Sakit) by the Taman Melawati community.
Respectfully, TMRA calls upon the Federal Government and the Ministry of Environment & Water (KASA) to complete the project as soon as possible and request the Minister to probe into the cause of job disarray as well as investigate into the money trail channelled by JPP and budget allocated to the project consultant.
The Package D44 of the Bunus project is managed by Puncak Niaga Construction Sdn Bhd (PNCSB) as the project consultant which was initiated by the then Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KETTHA).
It is a design and build project at a cost of RM394 million for decommissioning of 73 old sewage treatment plants which will be replaced by the centralised Bunus Sewage Treatment Plant. The project is a construction of approximately 72 sq km sewer pipe network and upon completion, will benefit 1.1 million population in Taman Melawati, Ampang, Setapak, AU Keramat and Datuk Keramat.
The project was awarded in February 2014 and originally due to complete in February 2018. Currently, the unsolved project is being implemented by JPP under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and Water.
