More areas under threat after Federal Hill landslip

 

One of the houses in Bangsar affected by the landslip at Federal Hill, Kuala Lumpur. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) must take immediate action to remedy the slope that collapsed in a recent landslip at Federal Hill, said Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil.

He said he had asked a geotechnical engineer to visit the area along Lingkungan Negeri Sembilan and his preliminary assessment was that if remedial work was not done fast, a wider area may be severely affected.

“It is a worrying and urgent situation. I don’t think the residents can wait for two to three weeks for the report from Ikram (Public Works Institute of Malaysia).

“DBKL has to act fast on this and it needs to come out and say which other houses are affected or could be affected so that they can move out temporarily,” he told FMT today.

On Sunday, federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim was reported as saying that remedial work would begin after Ikram submits a full report.

Several houses in the affluent neighbourhood were affected by the landslip, which occurred following heavy rain on Saturday.

According to a preliminary report by the fire and rescue department, the soil had slipped down from the shoulder of the main road along a 40m stretch.

Bangsar residents associations coalition Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur said occupants of three of the 32 houses at Jalan Limau Purut were asked to move out over fears of a landslide. The occupants of two houses had done so, but the others were not budging.

“I am pushing DBKL, Ikram and the appointed contractor to clear the area fast due to the rainy season,” said coalition chairman M Ali.

He also urged DBKL to reveal its hill slope maintenance plans so that people were aware of the schedule and could monitor the progress.

Sharifah Nor Syed Mohamad, who lives in one of the houses at Jalan Limau Purut, told FMT that she had to send her three children to temporarily stay at her brother’s home in Shah Alam.

The 47-year-old said she had chosen to stay put because water flowed into the house whenever it rained.

“The landslip has blocked the drains and the water has nowhere to go but into the house,” she said.

Sharifah, an advertising manager, hoped DBKL would create a temporary drainage system while the slope is being repaired. - FMT