Thousands living dangerously
New Straits Times 12/6/2006

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s scary: Thousands of Malaysians are living in blissful ignorance in danger zones.

Not only do their houses stand on weak soil, making the areas landslide-prone, intense construction activities and rain are aggravating the situation.

Landslides have already occurred in Hulu Klang, Selangor, while sinkholes have appeared in and around Ipoh.

As a government survey shows, these are only the tip of the iceberg and a prelude to more disasters.

However, disasters may be averted if early warning systems are installed and construction activities are reduced in these areas.

The chilling fact is that the survey has only covered two States so far — Selangor and Perak — and both have landslide-prone areas. The Pahang-Selangor border is another sensitive area.

The survey is expected to show that other States, especially in areas of rapid development, also have such danger zones.

The survey found that several housing estates and commercial areas in Ipoh are sitting on limestone rocks on which vertical cracks have been found.

"That is why houses in Ipoh are cheap. It is not sitting on solid ground," a soil expert said yesterday.

Since the 1990s, several housing and commercial areas in Perak — including Ipoh, Tronoh, Menglembu and Buntong — have experienced sinkholes and cave-ins.

The most dangerous spots are at the foot of limestone hills and the surrounding areas.

The expert said what was needed was a proper early warning monitoring system so that experts could analyse the rock conditions.

"If dangerous cracks are found, the experts can come in to rectify the problem. They can still make the area safe," he said.

Another danger zone is along the Selangor-Pahang border. According to a soil study, he said, it was one of the weakest areas in Malaysia.

"Any development along the boundary will trigger landslides. The Government should handle the area with care.

"If the Government wants to develop the area, it should give it to a responsible developer. But my advice is not to develop the area," he said.

Asked why development was still being carried out in high-risk areas, he said a clash of views between engineers and geologists was one reason.

"Geologists would normally submit a report to engineers on the soil study. Often, even if the soil is sensitive, the engineers would still go ahead with the development.

"This is because engineers feel nothing is impossible. They find solutions and add these to their reports for the local council’s approval.

"Engineers feel that for every problem there is a technical solution. But they go wrong by not monitoring the soil after the development."

To make matters worse, he added, most councils did not have the expertise to analyse technical reports.

"This is of grave concern. There should be experts to study the report and developers should be asked to monitor development after completion.

"It is not my intention to cause panic but the Government should monitor the situation closely ."

Nonetheless, he said, about 85 per cent of Selangor was safe.

Among the safer places are Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Klang, Port Klang, Sepang, Cheras, Kuala Langat, Rawang and Petaling Jaya.

Geologist Prof Ibrahim Komo of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said a complete site investigation should be conducted before any project was approved.

"A holistic approach is needed to look into the risk factors and life-support system of an area. Areas that are suitable for conservation and development should also be identified."

He said the study should be followed by proper monitoring to detect earth movements in high-risk areas.

His advice: If cracks in the house get bigger or persist despite being repaired, inform local councils so that experts can study the soil.

He also felt that the Government should appoint experts to identify high-risk areas and those suitable for development.

They should look at weak soil areas such as former mining land, limestone areas, decomposed granite stone areas and schist rock areas (the weakest for development).

After the land is classified, early warning systems should be installed at all high-risk areas to detect soil movements or cracks in rocks.

• May 1, 2006: Four people die when their houses are hit by a landslide at Kampung Pasir in Hulu Klang.

• Nov 20, 2002: Eight people die when the house of retired general Tan Sri Ismail Omar in Taman Hillview in Hulu Klang, Ampang, is crushed by a landslide.

• Jan 28, 2002: A landslide destroys a longhouse in Kampung Ruan Changkul in Simunjan, Kuching, killing 16 people.

• Sept 22, 2001: A slope collapses in Sungai Chinchin at Km13, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, bringing down a house and burying a man alive.

• Jan 9, 2000: A landslide at Km81.6 of the Tanah Rata- Brinchang road on Cameron Highlands kills six people.

• May 15, 1999: Several landslides force the evacuation of 1,000 apartment dwellers at Bukit Antarabangsa in Ampang Jaya, Selangor, and cut off 10,000 residents in the hilly area.

• Nov 28, 1998: In Penang, landslides bring down boulders, rocks and tonnes of mud, burying 15 vehicles at the Bukit Awana housing estate in Paya Terubong.

• May 11, 1997: Two landslides occur within two hours of each other, destroying seven squatter houses in foothills near Jalan Pantai Dalam in Kuala Lumpur. A six-year-old boy is killed and four other people injured.

• Oct 10, 1996: A landslide on a farm at Km49 Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Terla in Cameron Highlands buries three workers alive.

• Sept 2, 1996: An avalanche of mud, rocks and uprooted trees sweeps away the Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement at the base of the Kinta Forest Reserve in Kampar, Perak, leaving 35 dead and nine missing.

• June 30, 1995: Water, rocks and mud slam into vehicles travelling up a slip road to Genting Highlands, killing 20 people.

• March 22, 1994: Part of the Pine Resort apartments on Fraser’s Hill fall about 50m when supporting pillars give way in a landslip.

• Dec 11, 1993: Block One of Highland Towers in Hulu Klang collapses.