Medan Selera Jaya 223 in Section 51A has been hit by floods three times this year, with the latest deluge sending water levels up to neck height.PETALING JAYA: For hawkers at Medan Selera Jaya 223 in Section 51A, every heavy downpour has become a cycle of flooding, repairs and mounting losses.Repeated floods have forced traders to continually replace damaged equipment and stock, while some now face the possibility of leaving the area they have called home for decades.They told FMT they had been informed they might need to relocate to make way for a road linked to a nearby condominium development.Faced with recurring floods, relocation might be the better option for the 60 businesses at the food court, but there are yet to be details on where they would move, when it would happen or whether they would receive any assistance.Mutalib.“Show us the new place and build the shops for us. Once the shops are handed over, we will move,” said Mutalib, who has operated his business there for about 35 years.Last week, on July 18, they suffered the third flood to hit the food court this year, following incidents on April 20 and May 6.The Petaling Jaya city council (MBPJ) said the floods were caused by heavy rainfall of more than 60mm in a short period, which overwhelmed Sungai Penchala, as well as backflow from Sungai Klang and river repair works that reduced water flow capacity.The council had previously waived two months' rent for affected traders after the April floods, while the Selangor government announced a RM40.5 million allocation to address flooding in the area, with Section 51A among three priority locations.Mutalib said water rose to neck level during the latest incident, damaging stoves, cookers, LPG equipment, electrical appliances and food supplies.For traders operating on narrow margins, repeatedly replacing equipment, replenishing stock and losing trading days was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.Mutalib also expressed frustration over the lack of follow-up, saying no official had returned to assess their losses. “When elections come, they ask us to vote and support them.
But when people are suffering and losing their belongings, nobody comes to ask what help we need,” he said.Ibrahim.Another vendor, Ibrahim, estimated he suffered about RM1,000 in damage to his refrigerator and boiler, while RM500 in raw ingredients was destroyed.He said trader…
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