05/03/2009 The Malay Mail By Ng Suzhen

WHEN cracks were found under the building and along the drainage system of Segar Apartments, residents became worried, especially in light of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy.

Fearful of a potential disaster, they lodged a complaint with the apartment management corporation, which then sent out letters to the authorities to alert them of the problem.

The residents’ fears were soothed somewhat yesterday when representatives from City Hall, the Commissioner of Buildings (CoB), developer PPD Hartabina Sdn Bhd, the management corporation for Segar Apartments and Cheras Member of Parliament Tan Kok Wai paid a visit to the site to assess the situation.

City Hall’s buildings department officer Zamizi Zakaria, who was present, said a thorough inspection was needed to determine the extent of the damage.

“Visually, it looks safe. But to determine the real state of the building would require an engineer to thoroughly inspect it.”

Yesterday morning, City Hall issued a notice to the developers to employ an independent engineer and to repair the problem of sinking soil by filling up the cracks below the building and in the drains. The developer is also required to come up with a report within 30 days.

The CoB will also soon come up with a notice for maintenance of the apartments to the developer, which include taking care of the drainage system and paying extra attention to the pipe extensions.

The apartments’ management corporation chairman, Irene Tan, said the problem has residents on tenterhooks.

“The buildings have been there for 17 years, it is a genuine cause for worry,” she said, adding that the problems could have been due to shortcomings during the the construction stage.

Tan also said developers should be duty bound to make sure the buildings they build are safe and sound.

The real situation of the state of the apartment can only be made after an inspection is conducted.

There are 11 blocks at Segar Apartments, each eight storeys high, with a total 602 units.