Shah Alam’s elderly population has increased by as much as 8% this year, says mayor Dr Nor Fuad Abdul Hamid.
To cater to this increase, he said there is a plan to build a complex specially for senior citizens by Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).
He said the proposed site for the complex was at Section 13 opposite the Management and Science University (MSU).
“The complex will follow the concept of assisted living for the elderly who are living alone.
“In these units, there will be buzzers that will act as panic buttons should these elderly residents need help,” he said.
Submission of plans for this initiative was expected in the next three months, he said during the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) full board meeting.
Nor Fuad also said close to three tonnes of surplus food was saved from Ramadan bazaars at Sections 7, 17 and 20 over the course of 14 days under the MBSA MYSave Food programme that was initiated in 2021 to reduce food waste and landfill tipping fees.
This, he said, was possible with the help of more than 80 volunteers from Pertubuhan Pemuda Gema Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara and the council’s Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department.
“The surplus food like rice with side dishes, sweets, fried noodles, laksa, roti john, grilled chicken, tau fu fa and various types of drinks were distributed to the needy,” he said.
Nor Fuad also hoped that one day, Shah Alam ratepayers could fully embrace online applications to further reduce congestion at the city council’s physical counters.
He suggested developing a “super app” with GPS tracking features to better monitor issues such as waste management, clogged drains and broken public facilities that are in need of urgent attention.
“In addition to using apps for payment purposes such as yearly assessment bills, residents could also use them as a reporting tool to increase the efficiency of the city’s waste management and facility maintenance.
“This is because complaints can be monitored in real time through these applications,” he said.
Through GPS tracking for example, he said domestic or bulk waste that had not been collected would come to the immediate attention of the city council’s Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department.
At the same meeting, deputy mayor Cheremi Tarman said initiatives for more sustainable living under the smart city plan included replacing the city’s 38,000 street lights to LED lights to reduce carbon emission.
“The implementation began in 2018. As a result, we have managed to save up to RM7.2mil in electricity bills.
“Our electricity bill in 2018 was RM12.9mil. By 2022, it was down to RM5.7mil,” he said.
He added that 8,000 more street lights would be changed in the next three months.
Cheremi added that the air conditioning system at MBSA headquarters was an initiative by Tenaga Nasional.
“We use a district cooling system (DCS) where chilled water and ice are produced within the plant and distributed through pipes to buildings connected to the system to provide air conditioning.
“In our system, the ice is produced at night where the tariff is 30% cheaper,” he said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Grace Chen
Quelle/Source: msn, 19.04.2023
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