SUBANG JAYA, April 12 — Jaleha Jali was frying cekodok, a traditional banana fritter dessert, on the morning of April 1 when she fled her house with her two grandchildren toward the riverbank.

The 68-year-old fell several times trying to keep pace with her grandchildren who ran ahead of her.

“I ran after I heard the first blast. My neighbours didn’t even have time to put on their slippers; fortunately I wear slippers in the house anyway so I ran with those,” said Jaleha when met at the Putra Heights Mosque temporary relief centre.

That morning, at approximately 8.10am, the Petronas gas pipeline near Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru exploded, sending a massive heatwave towards homes located between 100 and 600 metres away, reducing houses, vehicles and surroundings to ashes.

“We can’t salvage our house as even the bricks have turned to dust,” she said.

Jaleha is among the first generation of landowners who purchased plots to build their homes in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.

“When I moved here I had only one child, and we built everything ourselves, little by little,” she recalled.

“When my children started working, they gradually extended the house for me,” she added.

From rural settlement to sought-after neighborhood

Kampung Batu 13 in Puchong sits on government-owned land first developed around 1969, named for its distance in miles from the Kuala Lumpur city centre.

The area comprises five villages: Kampung Kenangan, Kampung Lama Batu 15, Kampung Tengah A, Kampung Tengah B and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.

Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru began as a squatter settlement on temporary occupation licence (TOL) land before its conversion to 99-year leasehold property.

Once characterised by swamps and frequent flooding from the Klang River, developments such as the Damansara–Puchong Highway transformed the area into a sought-after location.

According to Jaleha’s daughter, Hasrina Nordin, 39, villagers had opposed the development of shoplots near the gas pipeline.

“The kampung people objected to this project because right behind the shop-lots are the kampung houses; it’s a very small piece of land.

“We were not that mad initially, but they started taking up an access road that we use on a daily basis to work and to ferry our children to school” said Hasrina, who was born in the house destroyed by the fire.

A community no stranger to disaster

In 2021, massive floods struck Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, with water reaching eye level.

Another flood in March 2022 saw water rise to waist height.

“[In] 2021, kampung residents here had to throw out all of their furniture, all along the road leading to Bukit Lancong you could see rotten furniture,” Jaleha recalled, adding that she also has yet to replace hers.

Since the pipeline fire, evening rain has been frequent, and residents fear floodwaters may damage what little remains.

“Most of our houses if they’re still standing, the roofs are gone. It has been raining and the rain water is destroying whatever that is left in the house,” Jaleha said.

Finding hope amid the ruins

Zurina Mohd Isa, 49, believes moving forward is the only option despite losing everything.

“If there’s one thing I wish for now as compensation, it’s time — to heal and process everything,” she said tearfully.

Her family lost their home, car, and motorcycle, though they had planned to put down a deposit for a new bike before receiving assistance.

They were among 55 families who received motorcycles from Spanco through the Transport Ministry, along with a rental car.

“Alhamdulillah, now we can use our savings for other essentials, and with the rental car and motorcycle, we can slowly rebuild what we’ve lost,” she said.

Zurina hopes the government will provide rental aid or housing support, noting that while Selangor authorities have offered temporary accommodation, her family needs a more stable solution.

“Our child is sitting for SPM this year, so we can’t take up the temporary housing offered by the state government as moving far just isn’t feasible,” she explained.

“We are looking for a permanent solution so that we can settle down and don’t have to worry about logistics of moving between houses.”

The pull of home: Why residents refuse to leave

Despite their hardships, most residents remain committed to staying.

According to Zurina, Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru’s central location provides convenient access to schools and nearby townships including Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Puchong.

“All kampung residents send their children to SMK USJ 23 and Sekolah Kebangsaan USJ 20,” she noted.

“Even Putra Heights residents come here to buy fish at our market and enjoy breakfast in the village,” she added.

The area also now enjoys its own Light Rail Transit (LRT) station, enhancing connectivity.

When fire consumes all: Hari Raya turned to tragedy

For Nasir Hamid, the blast struck as he was celebrating the second day of Hari Raya with his family.

“It sounded like a jet had crashed,” said Nasir, whose home was built in the 1970s.

The heat was so intense that even metal objects were completely destroyed.

“My fridge melted into a layer of ‘silver’ on the ground. So did my other cookware that we use for a small side income food business,” he said.

Nasir, who once helped install the same gas pipeline, never imagined such devastation could occur.

“I was born in Kelantan but raised in the Sungai Besi Army Camp as my father served in the military,” he said, adding that he moved here with his family after his father retired.

While some residents could salvage remnants from their properties, Nasir found only ash.

SHAH ALAM – Belum pun reda trauma akibat bah besar pada 2021, penduduk di Taman Sri Muda di sini, kembali dihantui perasaan sama apabila banjir kilat melanda lokaliti mereka semalam.

Hujan lebat secara berterusan bermula pukul 2 pagi itu me­ngakibatkan air mula memasuki kediaman kira-kira satu jam kemudian dan terus meningkat sehingga paras 0.5 meter pada pukul 9 pagi semalam.

Seorang penduduk di Taman Mantap di sini, S. Suresh, 32, berkata, dia terjaga daripada tidur selepas dihubungi rakannya yang memaklumkan limpahan air sedang naik dari Alam Impian ke Sri Muda

Katanya, pada awalnya air berada di paras lutut sebelum me­ningkat sehingga paras pinggang satu jam kemudian.

“Dalam tempoh tersebut, saya cuma fikir untuk bawa keluar keluarga dan kenderaan dahulu. Memang trauma sebab lokaliti ini pernah dilanda banjir besar.

“Memang setiap kali hujan, kami berwaspada terutama terdapat 12 ahli keluarga dalam kediaman. Ada perabot bernilai RM7,000 yang baharu dibeli tidak sempat dipindahkan ke tingkat atas. Memang rugi lagi kali ini,” katanya ketika ditemui Kosmo! di sini semalam.

Kata jurutera projek sebuah syarikat telekomunikasi itu, dia sekeluarga memilih untuk tinggal di sebuah hotel di Petaling Jaya berbanding di pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS).

Bagi S. Balakrishnan, 56, dia terpaksa membahagikan tugas dengan isteri untuk membawa dokumen dan kenderaan keluar daripada kediamannya.

Katanya, banjir dianggap sebagai ‘pesta tahunan’ yang tidak dapat dipisahkan dari lokaliti ini.

“Isteri terpaksa menaiki bot pihak berkuasa tempatan bagi membawa keluar dokumen pen­ting,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Nurul Ain Solehah Hanim Azhari, 18, berkata, kesan trauma akibat banjir besar sebelum ini membuatkannya sering terjaga sekiranya hujan lebat melanda Sri Muda.

“Selepas itu, saya akan lihat Sungai Sri Muda memandangkan jarak rumah hanya 70 meter.

“Paling risau jika banjir adalah renjatan elektrik. Saya dan ahli keluarga berpindah ke PPS Dewan Azalea, Seksyen 25 sejak pukul 1 tengah hari tadi (semalam) memandangkan jangkaan hujan lagi di sini,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, seorang suri rumah, Yusni, 51 memberitahu, pengalaman terperangkap selama dua hari di tingkat atas rumahnya sebelum diselamatkan dalam bencana pada 2021 membuatkannya tidak menunggu lama untuk ke PPS.

Tambahnya, dalam peristiwa tersebut dia bersama keluarga­nya mengambil sikap sambil lewa untuk berpindah kerana yakin banjir akan surut.

“Namun sebaliknya berlaku sehingga tiada bekalan elektrik dan bekalan makanan habis. Cukuplah pengalaman itu, tidak mahu lagi merasainya,” tegasnya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Shah Alam, Asisten Komisioner Mohd. Iqbal Ibrahim berkata, seorang lelaki ditemui maut dipercayai akibat terkena renjatan elektrik dalam kejadian banjir di sebuah stor menyimpan barang-barang pembinaan di Taman Alam Indah, Seksyen 25 di sini semalam.

Katanya, pihak polis menerima laporan kejadian membabitkan warga Sri Lanka berusia 27 tahun pukul 10.51 pagi.

Jelasnya, turut dijumpai, seekor anjing yang mati terkena renjatan elektrik di sisi mayat lelaki.

“Siasatan awal mendapati premis itu merupakan stor yang turut dijadikan tempat tinggal mangsa,” ujarnya.

KETIKA Datuk Bandar Subang Jaya, Datuk Amirul Azizan Abd. Rahim ditanya bagaimana projek perumahan berhampiran lokasi letupan dan kebakaran saluran paip gas bawah tanah di Putra Heights diluluskan, beliau mempertahankan projek tersebut dan menyifatkan ia telah mendapat kelulusan sewajarnya.

Katanya, projek itu diberikan kebenaran merancang pada 2022 serta mendapat kebenaran daripada Petronas dan Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), syarikat pembentungan nasional dimiliki Syarikat Menteri Kewangan Diperbadankan (MKD) yang ditugaskan untuk membangun dan menyelenggara sistem pembetungan. Kontraktor yang terlibat juga antara panel yang diluluskan oleh IWK dan Petronas.

Siasatan terhadap punca sebenar kebakaran dan letupan tersebut masih dijalankan namun ada yang mempersoalkan mengapa projek itu tetap diluluskan walaupun jelas bahawa kawasan itu merupakan kawasan sensitif dan berisiko tinggi serta boleh membawa ancaman kepada keselamatan penduduk setempat.

Presiden Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang, Mohideen Abdul Kader berkata, majlis perbandaran atau pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) bertanggungjawab untuk kelulusan zon dan perancangan guna tanah.

Katanya, jika saluran paip gas melalui berhampiran dengan kawasan kediaman, ini bermakna PBT meluluskan rancangan itu atau membenarkan pembangunan berhampiran saluran paip sedia ada.

Laporan menunjukkan lot kedai dua tingkat dibina hanya 30 meter dari lokasi kebakaran. Kebakaran dilaporkan memusnahkan 78 rumah, 10 rumah kedai, dan 225 kenderaan dalam lingkungan 290 meter dari tempat kejadian.

“Kami menggesa siasatan mengenai bagaimana saluran paip yang membawa gas asli yang sangat mudah terbakar itu boleh diluluskan begitu dekat dengan kawasan berpenduduk tanpa zon penampan,” katanya.

PBT BUKAN DI BAWAH KPKT
Kuasa kelulusan untuk membangunkan mana-mana kawasan di negara ini merupakan salah satu kuasa yang terletak di bawah PBT. Bagaimanapun, kesemua PBT terletak di bawah bidang kuasa kerajaan negeri masing-masing, bukan di bawah Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT).

Ini termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang memperuntukkan supaya hal yang berkaitan dengan kerajaan tempatan kecuali bagi Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Labuan dan Putrajaya adalah di bawah bidang kuasa kerajaan negeri.

KPKT dan Jabatan Kerajaan Tempatan (JKT) hanya menyelaras PBT-PBT dari segi penyeragaman dasar dan perundangan, memberi khidmat nasihat termasuk khidmat nasihat teknikal dan penyaluran peruntukan daripada kerajaan persekutuan.

Ini bermakna, PBT diwakilkan untuk bertanggungjawab terhadap hal ehwal tempatan, yang telah diwakilkan kuasa tempatan, yang telah diwakilkan kuasa kepadanya oleh sebuah kerajaan yang lebih tinggi sama ada kerajaan pusat dan kerajaan negeri, ini menurut JKT.

Namun, katanya, PBT tertakluk di bawah kawalan kerajaan yang tertinggi daripadanya dan mempunyai kuasa autonomi yang terhad dan kuasa ini selalunya dalam bidang kewangan dan pentadbiran. Justeru, PBT berkuasa memberi kemudahan dan perkhidmatan kepada penduduk sesebuah kawasan.

PBT juga menyelaras pelaksanaan dasar atau pekeliling berkaitan kerajaan tempatan di peringkat kerajaan negeri dan PBT, memberi khidmat nasihat berkaitan fungsi dan peranan perkhidmatan perbandaran dan pengurusan aduan PBT serta merancang, menyelaras, memantau dan menilai bantuan kewangan.

JENIS-JENIS PBT
PBT di negara ini dibahagikan kepada tiga kategori iaitu majlis atau dewan bandaraya, majlis perbandaran dan majlis daerah.

Majlis atau Dewan Bandaraya ialah majlis perbandaran yang dinaiktaraf kepada bandar raya setelah memenuhi kriteria tertentu antaranya jumlah penduduk tidak kurang 500,000 orang dan hasil tahunan PBT melebihi RM100 juta.

Majlis perbandaran lebih tertumpu kepada bandar dan mempunyai penduduk dan hasil yang melebihi majlis daerah, dengan jumlah penduduk yang melebihi 150,000 orang dan hasil tahunan melebihi RM20 juta.

Majlis daerah lebih tertumpu kepada luar bandar, dengan jumlah penduduk kurang daripada 150,000 orang dan hasil tahunan kurang daripada RM20 juta.

Setakat ini, sebanyak 151 buah PBT yang terdiri daripada 19 buah Dewan Bandaraya, 40 buah majlis perbandaran dan 92 buah majlis daerah.

KUASA-KUASA PBT
PBT tidak mengeluarkan sijil penyiapan dan pematuhan (CCC) untuk pembangunan, namun boleh menggunakan kuasanya di bawah Seksyen 70(23)(a) dan (b), Akta Jalan Parit dan Bangunan 1974 (Akta 133) untuk menjalankan pemeriksaan semasa pembinaan bagi memastikan bangunan yang dibina adalah mematuhi pelan bangunan yang diluluskan dan boleh menahan pengeluaran CCC jika berlaku ketidakpatuhan.

Selain CCC, PBT juga berkuasa untuk meluluskan beberapa permohonan antaranya pelan bangunan, kebenaran merancang, permit sementara, pelan landskap, pelan kerja tanah, permit kerja ubah suai kecil, permit sementara bangunan rumah pekerja tapak bina, pelan lampu jalan, pelan jalan perparitan, penamaan taman, jalan atau bangunan, pelan bangunan tambah atau mengubah bangunan, permit bagi petak pengecasan kenderaan elektrik (EVCB), pelan kerja tanah bagi industrial green lane (IGL) dan lain-lain.

PBT juga berkuasa untuk bertindak terhadap pelbagai jenis aduan seperti cerun atau tanah runtuh, bangunan, rumah, jalan, longkang, banjir, haiwan, taman permainan, lampu jalan, lampu isyarat, sampah, pembakaran terbuka, tempat letak kereta, pokok, landskap, papan tanda, papan iklan, tandas, urus tadbir PBT, premis makanan, strata, pasar, orang kurang upaya (OKU) dan aduan kacau ganggu.

Lesen pasar juga dikeluarkan oleh PBT melibatkan semua jenis pasar di negara ini termasuklah pasar pagi, pasar malam, pasar tani, pasar minggu dan pasar tamu.

PBT turut bertanggungjawab dalam penjagaan kolam renang, tempat letak kenderaan OKU, dan pemasangan litar kamera tertutup (CCTV). Begitu juga dengan penguatkuasaan terhadap kebersihan dan kesihatan makanan di premis dan tempat awam.

Jika diperhatikan dengan terperinci, begitu banyak kuasa yang diletakkan di bawah PBT, jauh lebih banyak daripada mana-mana penguatkuasa lain di negara ini. Ini bermakna, PBT mempunyai kuasa untuk memastikan seluruh kawasan di bawah pentadbirannya berada dalam keadaan teratur, tersusun dan selamat untuk diduduki.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sendiri pernah meminta PBT supaya membangunkan bandar dan penempatan penduduk secara seimbang, kerana jika pembangunan berada dalam keadaan tidak terkawal maknanya perancangan kita ada kelemahannya.

Kelemahan ini yang perlu diakui, ditangani dan ditambah baik demi kebaikan dan keselamatan kita semua, bagi mengelakkan kejadian tidak diingini berulang di masa akan datang.-UTUSAN

PENULIS ialah wartawan Utusan Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR — Out of the Putra Heights inferno tragedy that struck surrounding neighbourhoods on April 1, comes a message loud and clear – humanity matters most in situations like these – as shown by a mosque and a Hindu temple which stepped up to provide unwavering support for residents affected by the gas pipeline explosion. 

As emergency responders worked tirelessly to contain the situation and ensure public safety, the local community’s grassroots efforts brought comfort and hope to those displaced or distressed. 

At the forefront of the humanitarian efforts were those from the Putra Heights Mosque, who swiftly transformed the prayer halls into a relief centre and coordinated food distribution drives for the victims. It was reported that more than 200 victims of the gas pipeline blast were placed at the mosque. 

“When we first heard about the gas pipeline incident and how it affected so many families in Putra Heights, we knew we had to act fast,” Muhammad Khair Zainal, chairman of the Putra Heights mosque, told Scoop when contacted. 

“As a mosque, our role goes beyond prayers. We are here to serve the community, regardless of race or religion.” 

Volunteers from the mosque came together to distribute essentials such as food, drinking water, hygiene products, and to offer emotional support to families traumatised by the incident. 

“It does not matter whether you pray in a mosque, a temple, or a church – when disaster strikes, we must stand together as Malaysians and help each other in any way we can,” Muhammad Khair added. 

Just about 2.4km away, the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple also opened its doors to serve as a temporary relief centre, providing medical care for those affected and coordinating outreach through its network of nearly 100 youth volunteers. 

It was reported that a total of 49 victims with minor injuries – including burns, cuts, and breathing difficulties – received initial treatment from Health Ministry personnel. 

Temple adviser R. Manikavasagam told Scoop that the situation highlighted the importance of unity, especially in light of recent racial tensions emerging.

“Recently, there have been tensions in our country due to racial misunderstandings, but this incident proves that at the core, Malaysians stand united. We do not let isolated incidents define us. 

“When someone is in need, we do not ask about their race or religion – we just help. That has always been our policy over the years. Even before the incident, we had been conducting several feeding programmes at the temple for those in need, without considering race or religion. 

“This is the true spirit of Malaysia, and we hope to continue fostering this harmony through our actions, not just our words,” said Manikavasagam. 

On April 1, a massive explosion and fire erupted at a Petronas gas pipeline in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, sending huge flames into the air and causing widespread panic. 

The intense heat from the flames – felt kilometres away from the site – reportedly melted plastic and rubber objects in a wide radius around the pipeline. 

A total of 145 people were injured in the incident and are being treated at various hospitals, while 227 homes were affected, 81 of which were destroyed. 

Additionally, 365 vehicles were damaged, including 275 cars and 56 motorcycles. – April 12, 2025