The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Landslide victims of Bukit Antarabangsa return to rebuild their homes Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:27 AM PST GOING along Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa in the neighbourhood of the same name, one will easily notice how peaceful and picturesque the place is. For those uninformed, the place was a site of tragedy four years ago when a landslide destroyed 14 houses and claimed five lives in a matter of minutes. Determination to move forward, however, has led a few of the victims to return to rebuild their houses. One of them is K. Thanarajah who said he would only finish paying off the loan next month for two cars he lost in the incident. "I want to carry on with life. I appeal to the authorities to help me expedite matters such as approving my house building plans," he said. Businessman Ungku Farid Ungku Abd Rahman, 58, said the area was still a good place to live in. "The air is fresh and the place is quiet. We want to move back here but this depends on the compensation we hope to get from Syabas and the developer," he said, adding that it was difficult to get a bank loan because of his age and the area was being listed as high-risk. "This is still my home, so I want to come back. I believe it is safe, especially since RM70mil has already been spent to strengthen the slope," he said. He added that he had learnt a lot about slope-monitoring from SlopeWatch, an NGO based in Bukit Antarabangsa promoting slope safety, that was established after the infamous landslide. SlopeWatch programme director Eriko Motoyama said although landslides could not be predicted, spotting its symptoms could help with mitigating the problem early on. "For the past three years, residents have been diligently reporting the signs to us as well as to the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ). Of the 91 cases we have handled so far, 82 were from this area," she said. She also gave a presentation on the signs of slope failure, during a memorial event for the tragedy. The presentation was themed "Managing Risks through Monitoring", organised by SlopeWatch and the Zone 5 Residents' Committee (JKP) recently. |
| Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:24 AM PST ARE you Facebook friends with your councillor? While many use Facebook to connect with friends or to promote businesses, some residents' associations have utilised it as a channel to communicate with councillors and the authorities. Taman Puncak Jalil Residents' Association is one example. Its president Zainuddin Zainal acts as moderator for the community's Facebook group and has found that it is the preferred channel of communication over other methods. "Using Facebook, it is easy to channel our complaints and it brings the community closer. "We had a website but the response was not good and the forum was not active. So, we find this the most popular way to communicate, he said. Zainuddin believes that the Facebook page has helped reduce the crime rate as people are more aware the crime risks. "As the moderator, I can see how many have viewed the RA's posts. We can get 1,000 to 1,300 views within two or three days. "Hence, people are more aware about the latest crime cases or happenings in the neighbourhood," he said. However, he admits that there is a weakness. "Although we have 'liked' the Subang Jaya Municipal Council page, there is no interaction aside from being able to view each other's posts. "There is no communication between us and the council," said Zainuddin. Kota Warisan Residents' Association deputy president Ahmad Azhar Abdul Hamid, 46, said the Facebook page further enhanced the communication between residents and the authorities. "We get input from our (Sepang Municipal Council) councillor Lau Weng Chan as well as the developer. "Issues are highlighted and addressed faster. "For example, we recently highlighted the bad condition of roads and the council fixed the problem in a short time after we posted it on our page," he said. Ahmad Azhar agrees that Facebook is a more convenient tool to highlight issues. "Previously, one had to take photo of the problem, such as potholes, and send it to the council either in person or via traditional post. "Now, we can upload the photo to our Facebook page and alert our councillor," he added. Lau said the two-way communication was important. "It requires effort from both residents and the authorities. "The residents invited me to join their Facebook group and I get to know about the latest issues in the community via the page," she said. The Facebook page is not just a platform for residents to air their views but also to help those in need. "For instance during the recent Hari Raya, the Kota Warisan community raised RM10,000 for an orphanage and also managed to get sponsorship for mattresses for the home. "We have used the money to buy Hari Raya items for the home and will be using the remainder to buy uniforms for the school-going children," added Lau. Subang Jaya Municipal councillor R. Rajiv usually communicates with residents through email, but he occasionally gets invites to community events via Facebook. "Sometimes, residents share their problems or give suggestions via Facebook too," he said. |
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