Derelict project a health risk

JOHOR BARU: Residents of the Larkin flats here and those living in the surrounding areas want the authorities to deal with the health risks posed by an abandoned housing project.

The project for the relocation of residents of Kampung Setulang Baru was started in 2003, but was stalled several times before being completely abandoned in 2009.

The site is now an eyesore and residents living in the vicinity are worried that it has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Kampung Melayu Zone committee member Azman Dawam said the residents are fearful of the dengue threat as puddles of water could be found at the site of the abandoned project every time it rains.

Johor Baru Umno Youth chief Khaled Mohamad recently visited the area and promised to take up the matter to the authorities.

"We (Umno Youth) are equally frustrated over this project which should have been completed in 2007. "It was for the benefit of the poor," he said.

A resident of the Larkin flats, Romzi Abdul Razak, said he hoped the authorities will revive the project, so that the site would be cleaned up.

"The drains at the site are mostly clogged, causing them to be ideal places for the aedes mosquito to breed," he said.

Source: Mahani Ishak