Accumulation of underground water caused landslide, says JKR

 

JKR’s inspection team also found tension cracks stretching along the road heading to Batang Kali caused by the landslide. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: High soil saturation due to the accumulation of underground water beneath the campsite in Batang Kali contributed to Friday’s landslide, according to the public works department (JKR).

In a statement, JKR said an early inspection done by its forensic team from the slope engineering division also detected an active underground water stream at the site that also runs below the campsite area.

JKR said these two factors were the main contributors to the landslide that happened at 2am.

It said a visual inspection of the hill road on the cliff found that the road drain was not clogged and was in good condition.

“The inspection team also found tension cracks that stretched along the road heading to Batang Kali caused by the landslide,” JKR said.

The initial findings revealed two slope failures occurred at the same location, the second one occurring 20-30 minutes later.

The first slope failure most likely occurred at the campsite, which caused the “toe” (bottom) of the slope to weaken and led to the second larger landslide.

In order to prevent another landslide at the site, JKR carried out several short-term measures such as:

• Immediately closing the exposed hill slope area with tarpaulin sheets;
• Building a drain to direct the surface water away from the site; and,
• Placing a tilt sensor to monitor soil movement.

The Batang Kali landslide has so far claimed 24 lives. A total of 61 people survived the tragedy while nine others are still unaccounted for. - FMT