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City Hall staff have been asked to be more proactive when it comes to checking on the condition of the covered drains around Manggatal, to ensure that the public is not placed in harm’s way because of any damaged or missing grills and slabs placed over these structures.

A Papar resident, meanwhile, hopes that the District Council will be equally diligent about looking after the same fixtures in Kinarut. 

He didn’t make this call lightly as he recently fell into a drain in the town, when the struts on a metal grill covering the structure suddenly gave way. 

He injured his foot and sustained a bad cut on one his palms as a result of this mishap.

A Manggatal resident, on the other hand, spoke out about the potential danger posed by “the holes” in the road leading to the area where the “tamu (weekly market)’ was held. 

This hazard had arisen because of the drain covers which had fallen into the stretch, according to him.

Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the relevant agency.

A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said the perimeter of both the fallen drain covers was rebuilt earlier this month.

“Our personnel later confirmed that the metal grill and ‘open fibreglass grating’ was sitting properly at the affected points of Jalan Manggatal F, near the ‘tamu’ grounds,” he said. 

He said the agency had initially cordoned off the two exposed sections behind some security tape, after finding that these fixtures to have come loose from their housings in September. 

“An inspection made at the time revealed that the grill had fallen into the drain, while the grating looked as if it could give way at any time.”

“The staff who went to this part of the town got the impression that some heavy vehicles may have gone over or parked on these structures.” 

When asked about the two-month hold up in dealing with this problem, he said budgetary constraints prevented the agency from making the necessary repairs right away. 

The spokesman explained that maintenance was carried out on the covered drains – including metal grills and concrete slabs placed over these structures –   under its jurisdiction on an ad hoc basis.

“This work is carried out when it warrants doing so. To this end, our staff have been asked to make periodic checks of the common areas around Manggatal town to ensure that the drainage fixtures are in good order.”

Meanwhile, the Papar District Council is in the process of assessing the condition of the grills placed between the pavements and the main road in one part of Kinarut town.

“Any grills which are damaged, or not sitting properly on their housings, will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

If need be, he said, the agency would arrange to have the compromised sections of the pavement, off Jalan Kinarut Township, rebuilt so that these fixtures didn’t come loose.

“This will be done once when our funds allow. In the meantime, we will try to block off the ‘danger spots’. We will try to have a sheet of plywood placed temporarily over the affected grills in question.”

When asked how often the covered drains and walkways around the town were maintained, the spokesman said this was done as and when it became necessary to do so.

“We generally rely on public feedback to determine when these amenities need to be attended to. It also depends on whether the repairs are going to be a ‘big’ job or a ‘small’ one.”

He said the former was subject to constraints on the funding and manpower needed to carry out the work.

“The ‘small’ jobs can usually be accomplished within a matter of hours.”

Nevertheless, given what had happened to the complainant, he said, the Council’s staff had been asked to be more mindful of any damage to the drain covers around Kinarut.