Keeping a close watch on highlands
With the rainy season approaching soon, people living on or near hills and slopes are being reminded to keep a watchful eye for signs of potential landslides.
THESE days, most people drive past the road leading to Highland Towers in Ulu Klang without even giving the two evacuated blocks a glance.
The two towers are still standing, a haunting and painful reminder of the tragedy of Dec 11, 1993, when a third tower came crashing down after a landslide, snatching the lives of 48 people.
The cause of the landslide was attributed to land clearing, improper drainage of water from two neighbouring housing development projects higher up the hill, and a badly constructed retaining wall that was not checked and properly maintained.
Almost 20 years and more landslides (and deaths) later – not just in Ampang but in other areas and states too – the federal government and state authorities have put in place strict guidelines (which have been revised twice to make them even more stringent) and safety measures for development on or near hills and slopes.
The local authorities have to closely monitor these new projects to ensure that developers stick by the rules and not take short cuts that would be detrimental to residents later on.
They are also tasked with checking and maintaining the safety of existing slopes while making sure that other slope owners maintain their slopes as well. (Some slopes are on private land and owned by developers, companies, and individuals while there are others near condominiums for which the respective condomium management committee is responsible.)
People living on or near hills and slopes too are expected to keep a watchful eye.
Over two decades, because of the rapid pace of development and a number of landslides, people have become increasingly aware of the dangers and are better informed about the tell-tale signs of slope failure, erosion and potential landslides.
“People need to understand that if they live on or near a slope, the risk is always there. If you want to live on a slope, you have to be rich because you have to make sure you have the money to spend on maintenance and repairs of the slope,” says Dr Che Hassandi Abdullah, director of the Slope Engineering Branch at Public Works Department (JKR).
He believes one of the reasons people get killed is because despite seeing early signs of slope failure – like cracks on the slope, walls or ground, bare patches on the slope, water seeping through the ground and blocked or faulty drainage problems – they do nothing.
Without a proper drainage system or if the drains are silted or choked with rubbish or overgrown grass, the rainwater will be trapped.
And it spells trouble if the water pours over a slope in massive quantities, clearing the vegetation in its path. It is just as dangerous if the water seeps into the slope, saturates and weakens the slope or appears at the base of the slope.
As Dr Che Hassandi puts it: “water is a dirty word for slopes.”
In Malaysia, landslides have happened many times in the wee hours of the morning, which is the worst time possible because the whole family is at home and asleep. Furthermore, as it is still dark outside, it is harder for people to flee to safety.
Dr Hassandi says this has to do with the rain pattern in the country, where it tends to rain a lot in the afternoon, evening and at night.
“It takes a few hours for the water to seep through and the ground water to rise before the slope fails,” he says.
The people, he adds, should check and repair their slopes during the dry season and get engineers to inspect the slope once every few years.
“In some circumstances, you may have to get it inspected yearly,” he advises.
The sad thing, he says, is that Malaysians really don’t have a maintenance mentality.
“The only thing we seem to maintain is our cars! How many of us even bother to check the wiring in our house every 10 years or so? We have a long way to go as far as