Fear of another landslide

The Sun 5/6/2006

SHAH ALAM: Residents off Kampung Tasik, Ampang, are raising alarm bells of a landslide waiting to happen. If nothing is being done to prevent it, it would be the sixth landslide in the area since 1993.

A month back, work began at a project site next to the residential area where workers have begun levelling a hill. However, the residents said the workmen failed to build a retaining wall to mitigate soil erosion.

This has caused mud-floods affecting some 100 houses in the area everytime there is a downpour, Kampung Tasik Residents Association vice-chair-man Ng Shin Cheong said.

"We want the project to be stopped and those responsible to be taken to court and compensate us for our losses. Some of our houses have cracks on the walls because of the development," he said.

"There was a massive mud-flood on May 26, resulting in some of us suffering losses of between RM5,000 and RM29,000."

He said the residents had made police reports on May 30. The developer of the project is Wangsa Keringat Development Sdn Bhd and the contractor is Autocell Machinery Sdo Bhd. They are developing the land for a housing project to relocate squatters.

Ng and some 20 residents submitted a memorandum warning of the potential landslide to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo on Friday. It was received by his private secretary, Salamat Dollah.

Ng said Salamat had told him he would forward the memorandum to Mood Khir.

"The mentri besar must walk the talk. Otherwise, there will be another landslide here," He said in reference to five previous landslides in the area - in 1993 (Highland Towers), 1999 (Athenaeum Tower), 2000 (Bukit Antarabangsa), 2002 (Taman Hillview) and the latest on May 31 (Kampung Pasir).