Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Shum Jian-Wei
STATE exco member for Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Chow Kon Yeow on Nov 30 paid an inspection visit to the riverbank of Sungai Dondang located near the Bandar Baru Air Itam mosque and SJK(C) Chiao Nan where a project concerning flood mitigation and repair works on a damaged infrastructure is currently being carried out.
The site was reportedly one of the worst hit areas during the Nov 4 & 5 flood which resulted in the collapse of the cliff where the Thean Teik bridge is.
Furthermore, there is also an alarming state of soil erosion at the site which poses a danger to commuters who use the bridge.
“We are inspecting this site to ascertain the damage due to the floods. From our observation, indeed the bridge, the riverbank and the cliff have visible damage which endanger the public. What’s more worrying is the soil erosion which could be made worse with more rainfall and will affect the stability of the bridge,” Chow told the media.
Accompanying Chow during the site inspection were Air Itam assemblymember Wong Hon Wai who’s also political secretary to the Chief Minister, State Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) director Mohd Azmin Hussin, JPS Northeast district engineer Nortilawati Osman and Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Engineering Department director Addnan Mohd Razali.
According to information provided to the media, the RM200,000 project began on Nov 13 and is expected to be completed by Jan 13.
“Once the project is completed, the water flow of Sungai Dondang would be smoother and it will also put a stop to the soil erosion currently taking place,” Nortilawati said.