The Global Environmental Centre’s (GEC) river care programme manager K Kalithasan called the decision “crazy” and “irresponsible”.
Speaking to FMT, he said it was disappointing that the government had even considered this after the floods of last December and early this year.
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“It is crazy that they want to encroach upon and develop these areas just because they are not gazetted as reservoir ponds within the local district plan,” he said.
“Ministers and all Malaysians need to understand that water needs space too. People always overlook this.”
Kalithasan pointed out that rain patterns had changed due to climate change, leading to higher amounts of rainfall within a short period of time.
“We need to ensure we have enough space to hold the water before it ends up in the ocean,” he said.
In a written parliamentary reply yesterday, housing and local government minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the government was allowing 13 areas previously identified as retention ponds to be developed as residential areas.
Nine of the ponds are in Perak, three in Selangor and one in Negeri Sembilan.
Kalithasan said the number of locations to store water would be significantly reduced if the plan went ahead.
“Secondly, the ponds that still exist can only retain a smaller volume compared to before due to all the sludge and rubbish. This would have a significant impact on floods in a particular area,” he said.
He said housing developers would have to find a sustainable solution if the plan were to go ahead in spite of protests.
“The studies they conduct need to be comprehensive and consider factors like climate change, the increasing population, and decreasing storage capacity of the body of water,” he said.
“If they close one retention pond, another one should be built. That’s the only way to justify doing this. We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Taman Sri Muda.”
Last December, Malaysia experienced one of its worst floods, with 59 dead and Pahang recording the highest number of 29,108 flood victims followed by Selangor with 23,302.
Klang MP Charles Santiago has also reacted to Reezal’s statement. He said retention ponds were significant in managing overflow and high levels of rain and it was unwise to turn them into commercial centres or residential areas.
“Weather patterns can dramatically change and so these ponds should be left as they are and any decision to develop them should be put on hold,” he said.
He also said studies and reports should be made public and stakeholders must be allowed to contribute to them.
“My view is that whatever studies were done three years ago don’t hold water now,” he said. “They must be rethought completely.”
Previously, opposition MPs in Kuala Lumpur had asked why six retention ponds earmarked for flood prevention had been alienated for development. Federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim responded by saying that existing ponds in Kuala Lumpur would be preserved and protected from commercial development.