I've got a picture below that perfectly captures one of the biggest things I've been culture-shocked by here in Malaysia: Everywhere you go there are open drains along the side of the road. This is as true in the suburbs as much as it is in town. If you look closely at the picture below, you'll see that the sink Wearn's mom is using directly outlets into the open drain that runs along the side of the restaurant, between the sidewalk and the road. You can also see the small bridge used to cross this drain in the distance.
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| Open drains are common across Southeast Asia |
I think there are probably several reasons why Malaysians have chosen to utilize this kind of infrastructure. One thought I had related to lawsuits. Malaysians are definitely way less litigious than we are in the US. I could probably do a whole post on this, but I see all kinds of stuff that would definitely not fly in the US, some of it to our loss because it is cool (flat magnetic escalators that hold your shopping cart down as you go upstairs) and some is not so cool (there are all kinds of blind steps everywhere). In this way, they don't really care; if you're dumb enough to let your baby fall in the drain or drive your car into it, that's your fault.
Another idea was about drainage. With as much rain as they see here, the costs of having a drain back up are pretty high, so having an open ditch conceivably makes it much easier to clear the waterway and accommodate higher flow levels. Also, let's face it, it's probably just a heck of a lot cheaper to do it this way than installing metal or plastic pipes. Another win for path dependence.
If you can debunk my rubbish theories or provide a better explanation, let's have it in the comments!
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