Irresponsible Residents Turn Safety Net At Seri Pantai PPR Into A "Garbage Collector"
Despite the fact that a boy was killed by a falling chair thrown from a higher floor, residents continue to throw rubbish indiscriminately.
By Tang Ruxyn — 05 Feb 2018, 12:42 PM
15-year-old S. Sathiswaran died in a tragic incident when he was struck on the head by a chair that was hurled from the upper floors of Seri Pantai People's Housing Project (PPR) in Pantai Dalam about three weeks ago
It is believed that someone had tried to dispose the office chair and threw it down from the high-rise block, instead of bringing it down and getting rid of it at the garbage disposal centre.
News of Sathiswaran's death stirred up discussion on society's lack of civic mindedness and facilities provided at low-cost high rise flats, as it was not an isolated incident.
It was learned that there have been many cases in which residents from higher floors often throw things ranging from soiled diapers to chair off their balcony.
Following the incident, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said that it will install safety nettings to create a safer environment
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor reportedly said that DBKL would begin installing nets as a safety measure.
The implementation would see safety nets being installed at 494 PPR flats involving 80,000 units in and around Kuala Lumpur.
"We will also conduct briefings for residents to educate them on what they should and should not do at these flats," Tengku Adnan was quoted as saying.
The safety net was recently installed at the Seri Pantai PPR flat, but it was learned that it is now just layered with trash
It appears that some residents have not gotten rid of their old habit of dumping garbage despite the recent fatal incident, turning the new safety net into a "rubbish collector".
Bernama reporters went to the Seri Pantai PPR flat and found that the safety net is catching trash, with mostly packets of food and drink stuck there.
A resident at the Seri Pantai PPR has expressed regret that some PPR residents have not learnt from past incidents and continue to dispose rubbish irresponsibly
Bernama reported Suzana Mohamad as saying that her son and elder sister had suffered injuries in the past when they were hit by objects thrown from above.
"After all these incidents, we were scared to walk in the area without any roof for protection," she said.
She praised DBKL's decision to install the safety net but suggested that a concrete wall may be a safer measure.
"Although it (the netting) is safe, building a concrete wall may be more appropriate in the long term because we do not know how long the netting will last. What more if the people throw away larger and heavier things," the 42-year-old housewife was quoted as saying.