More floods in KL in the future - underground rainwater storage in carparks the answer?

There's no denying the fact that flash floods in KL are getting more and more common, but can underground carparks help to remedy this situation?

According to former Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Dr Keizrul Abdullah, something has to be done, and converting building carparks into underground storage chambers to temporarily store rainwater might be one of the ways, as reported by The Star.

Basement carparks can convert into underground water storage?

It's a stressful situation for most of us every time it starts to rain heavily here in the Klang Valley. Places that we thought would never see any form of floods have popped up all over, even in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Hence, the idea of turning basement carparks into temporary water storage facilities comes to mind.

According to Dr Keizrul, "With so much rainwater these days, poor drainage systems and overdevelopment, it can be very challenging to find ways to store excess water. Just imagine in Kuala Lumpur if all the buildings turned their level 1 and level 2 basement carparks into underground storage, we could have a huge amount of storage space."

SMART Tunnel and water retention ponds not enough?

The water volume for the three major rivers in the federal capital has been rising not only due to mother nature but also major land development surrounding the areas. Features like the SMART Tunnel, water diversions, and retention ponds are helping for now, but they might not hold up in the future should the flash flood situation gets worse.

The idea of converting underground carparks into temporary water storage facilities might be an expensive excursion for older buildings, but it is indeed something that needs to be highly considered for newer developments.

Several countries like Japan, Australia, and France have implemented this method to assist in floods, and so far, the Drainage and Irrigation Department did come out with the Urban Stormwater Management Manual (MSMA) back in 2000 in regards to controlling stormwater run-off and sediment control.

They've made it mandatory for developers to construct water absorption areas around houses amongst other things, but newer developments have made it difficult to implement this effectively. It's probably time to update that Urban Stormwater Management Manual (MSMA) approved in 2000 and stomp some heavy punishments for those who don't obey, eh?