Environmental NGO calls for inquiry into Ampang landslide

 

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has called on the Selangor state government to conduct a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the landslide that struck Taman Bukit Permai in Ampang last week.

“In order to prevent a repeat of such tragedies, a COI needs to be conducted to get to the root causes of the landslide, if there was negligence by anyone including the authorities,

“It should also look into what remedial and preventive measures are needed, including if existing laws and guidelines on hill land protection and slope safety are sufficient or need improvements.

“This is especially needed, given that the Ampang area is very prone to landslides, as evident from the Highland Towers collapse in 1993, and it appears that lessons have not been learnt from the tragedy which claimed 48 lives,” SAM president Meenakshi Raman said.

A commission of inquiry is a tool to enable the investigation of matters of public concern in a public forum, other than in an ordinary court.

Meenakshi said that a previous COI conducted in Penang led to improvements in hillslope guidelines.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman

“Such a COI is not new. In Penang following a landslide tragedy that claimed 11 lives in 2017, a COI was conducted and this led to improvements to hillslope guidelines, and it found the consultant engineer hired by the developer to be responsible for negligence.

“We must prevent future tragedies, as we continue to undertake remedial measures to ensure the safety of residents in the landslide zone,” she said.

Meenakshi stressed the importance of a climate-resilient development pathway, as the frequency and intensity of rainfalls will increase and these could cause further landslides.

Last Thursday, a major landslide occurred at Taman Bukit Permai 2 killed four people while a fifth victim suffered minor injuries. Fifteen houses and 10 vehicles were also damaged in the incident.

More than 200 residents from 48 houses in the neighbourhood had to vacate their houses following cracks found at the landslide location due to land movements.

The occupants of 15 houses along Jalan Bukit Permai 1 was also asked to vacate their homes and relocate elsewhere temporarily after new landslides occurred near Taman Bukit Permai 2 in Ampang last Saturday. - Mkini