The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:36 AM PDT LANDSLIDES, the latest one being the Hulu Langat incident in May that claimed 16 lives, continue to be a major issue in Selangor despite the introduction of the state Highland and Hillslope Planning and Development Guide-lines early last year that failed to address safety concerns. According to geotechnical engineer Dr Gue See-Sew, the guidelines should have incorporated steps on preventing future landslides. "There are many causes of slope failure and nothing in the guidelines addresses this," he said. "New developments should be made to follow a set of procedures to prevent such incidents from happening," the former Institution of Engineers Malaysia president said. He said there were many investigations done when a slope failed but nobody consolidated these reports along with the national slope masterplan to improve development practices and safety, something that should have been included in the guidelines. "Our objective should be to protect people, yet nothing in the guideline talks about safety. "All it does is complicate the planning process," Gue said, adding that both the state and federal guidelines were more or less the same. He pointed out that classifying slopes — the first step in applying for development planning approval — was already complicated and created a grey area. "Slope classification should not be so subjective. We do not want 10 people using the guidelines to come up with 10 different conclusions," he said, adding that it should be simple and suggested that only slope gradient be used, without adding parameters. For instance, under the guidelines, slopes more than or equivalent to 15° to less than 25° were typically considered Class II slopes but could be classified as Class III (≥25° to "How do we differentiate small, moderate or serious erosion problems? "When in doubt, do not approve and there is no development. But is (no development) what we want?" Gue said, adding that he had raised this question when the guidelines were being drafted. He also felt that differentiation should be made towards unengineered and engineered slopes. "Both situations require the same precautions such as the buffer zone. "When a slope is unstable and too costly to strengthen, it has the potential to fail and needs the buffer but why should an engineered slope require the same?" he asked. Gue said the guidelines were confusing and the planning process did not involve engineers thus it should be simple and transparent on when a submission could be approved or not. "The details and parameters such as consideration for rainfall, water table, geometry, soil property and such can come later as this is when we talk of engineering a slope," he said. Gue expressed disappointment with the authorities, as the main stakeholders, who had plans and started good initiatives but without clear results. "We do not have enough champions for this cause. Strong political will and follow-ups are important," he said, adding that collectively, as a state or country, resources can be found to mitigate this issue. He said solutions must be found to the landslide problems that kept recurring. "In Hulu Langat, there is a lot of unchecked slope-cutting going on. "In some parts, the slope-cutting has created almost vertical unengineered slopes along the main road. How can the authorities say they do not have the power to overcome this?" he asked. He said according to the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 Section 70, it is stated that "No person shall erect any building without the written permission of the local authority". "To my understanding, no type of land is exempted from this law, including agricultural land," Gue said, adding that known high-risk areas should be investigated and notices issued or immediate measures taken to strengthen it. "We could adapt and adopt a number of practises from Hong Kong's successful slope management model. "They look into both planning control for new developments as well as retrofitting existing slopes at risk," he explained. "For the former, they look into planning approval that addresses density, method of applying and type of slopes applicable for planning application. Everything is clear cut," he said. As for existing hillslope development, the areas are checked and if found that some mitigation steps need to be carried out, it is done quickly. "If the land is privately owned, the owner is responsible for it. "If they do not have the financial means to do it, the government does it but imposes a condition on the owner that they cannot sell their property until the cost of strengthening the slope is paid back," Gue said. It has been reported, from as early as 1999 after the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide that cut off access to thousands, efforts have been made to emulate Hong Kong's hillslope management. Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman, 46, from Bukit Antara-bangsa said it was worrying if the government machinery of the day did not move to protect the public. "The state government can do more to push the machinery, that is the local authorities, to monitor and act quickly when it comes to mitigating slope problems," he said. "They are not fully using their 'arm' and this is management failure on their part." Related Stories: |
| Danger lurks beneath tourist attraction Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:18 AM PDT THE popular Ampang Look Out Point (ALOP) in Kajang may just be a hillslope disaster waiting to happen. A check by StarMetro found a large crack in a corner of the original ALOP structure and the floor area after this crack is already tilting. Sources say that the slope below the supporting pillars of the structure is unstable, with a minor landslip taking place there recently. This came after an attempt was made to construct more rentable spaces amid the pillars but the attempt was aborted after the incident, leaving the slope covered in construction debris without any rectification work done. Signs of another larger landslip, now covered in cement, were also spotted on the steep slope below the team-building facility at ALOP. While slope stability is a big concern merely few kilometres away in places like Ampang and Batu 14 Hulu Langat where the May landslide that claimed 16 lives took place, ALOP, under the purview of Selangor Tourism, continues to see new structures being built despite the signs. One such structure is the new restaurant, Cloud 9, located just next to the original ALOP area where the crack was found. Another structure was built beside ALOP's public viewing tower to accommodate more diners at Panorama Restaurant that operates from the base of the tower itself. Previously, to accommodate more customers the restaurant had used the entire tower as its website message reads, "This restaurant offers diners a unique dining experience either at the base of the tower or at any one of the levels of the tower...", depriving the public from using it as intended. Trees were cut down and cleared to make space for the restaurant's extension. A check also found the structure to have improper drainage that channelled rainwater from the roof directly to the ground, increasing the chances of a landslide as the water is not drained away properly. More trees were also found to have been chopped down near the dining area to ensure an ininterrupted view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, ALOP's key attraction. Sources have also said that the buildings at ALOP do not have Certificates of Fitness (CF). However, the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ) has yet to provide an answer despite several queries. Launched in 2001, ALOP — which reportedly cost RM20mil to build — has passed hands from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to the MPKJ to the current owner, Selangor Tourism, which has a long-term agreement with Pinang Harmoni Kembara Sdn Bhd (PHK) to manage the place. It has been revealed that Selangor Tourism conducted an inventory at ALOP last year and the findings were presented at a meeting on Aug 25, last year, attended by PHK, restaurant operators, MPKJ, the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) and state Forestry Department. Several issues were raised at the meeting including Panorama's operation at the public tower, the destruction of a water fountain and neglect of the pond and waterfall. Another meeting to discuss these issues was held on Oct 28 but it was reported to be inconclusive. A notice dated Nov 11 was issued by Upen last year, instructing the closure of the hangout spot for six months, reportedly to settle all standing issues in the area. However, ALOP, which attracts thousands of customers per month, has continued to operate as usual until today. The management has filed an injunction against the authorities and an appeal has been made against it. Related Stories: |
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