Updated: UnSmart flood

Sigh, another flash flood happened in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, which is aptly known as muddy estuary in Malay. Dad has lost track the number of times KL has been submerged in muddy water, as shown in the pix today from The Star photo gallery.

Mom was caught in a massive traffic jam due to a flash flood last week in the heart of KL, while grandma's car was once submerged in water near Shah Alam more than five years ago.

The immediate thing that came to dad's mind is the RM1.93 billion project known as Smart (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel). Has the stormwater tunnel come into effect to help divert flood water in the Malaysian capital? According to project developers MMC-Gamuda, the three-tier tunnel will act as a motorway and a bypass channel for floodwater at the confluence of the Klang and Ampang rivers into a storage reservoir in Taman Desa, before being discharged into Kerayong river.

The Star and New Straits Times didn't mention the Smart project although the 3-km motorway portion opened to the public last month. According to MMC-Gamuda, the final phase of the Smart project will be the official opening of the 9.7-km stormwater tunnel targeted in June 2007 (It's already June 11).

Dad used a stretch of the tunnel when he was driving back from KL back to Singapore last week. He even made a U-turn when he first overshot the tunnel entrance so that he could experience it for the first time. The one-month trial run was still free when dad used it.

Dad now has a lingering feeling that the priority seems to be the opening of the tolled motorway, instead of completing the stormwater tunnel as soon as possible to help drain perennial flood water from the muddy estuary.

Update: The Malaysian government is upset over the tardiness in the completion of the stormwater tunnel portion of the project. But it doesn't change dad's view that the developers seem to be more concerned about the opening of the tolled motorway, instead of completing the stormwater tunnel as soon as possible.