Lake now the pride of Puchong folk

It was once an eyesore but the lake near Taman Mutiara Puchong has now become a landmark that the residents can be proud of. A year ago, StarMetro highlighted the sorry state of the lake, which was polluted by construction debris and rubbish.

Fish in the lake died and the stench reached the residential areas nearby, making the residents both worried and angry.
“We bought the houses because we believed that there will be a beautiful lake in the area, as illustrated in the brochures,” said resident Gerard Lim, who brought up the matter last year.

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) had taken action against the developers for illegal dumping and the fine was used to clean up the lake.

The developer of Taman Mutiara Puchong has also landscaped the edge of the lake with perimeter fencing, benches, shrubs, lawns and a proper walkway of about 300m.

There is also a platform for the residents to view the scenery.

Lim said the residents were pleased with the current state of the lake.

“On a sunny day, the sunset here is very beautiful,” he said, gesturing at the shimmer of sunlight on the lake. The lake has 300m-long walkway with benches and plants lining the sides.

During StarMetro's visit to the lake recently, birds could also be seen gliding on the water surface in search of fish.
However, Lim pointed out that soil had eroded at certain spots of the lake's edge.

“Land reclamation was done previously on the lake, but the foundation was clearly not strong enough,” he said.

The residents association is hoping that MPSJ could put rocks or plant suitable trees along the lake to hold the soil together to prevent further erosion.

“The area is dark at night so we hope streetlights can be installed, too,” Lim said.

He added that there were still some irresponsible contractors who would climb over the barrier to throw debris into the lake.

“The residents association has to be alert to prevent these cases from happening,” he said.

MPSJ president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan said the council would first determine whether the said problems should be tackled by the developer. “If not, we will look into the matter,” he said.

Source: The Star, 19 July 2008