By Farah Wahida:
In an effort to shun landslide-related damages, the government will create a task force that will study and monitor hillslopes as well as projects sited in those areas, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The announcement follows a landslide at Bukit Setiawangsa last week, where part of a retaining wall had collapsed, reported The Sun Daily.
According to Muhyiddin, the task force will consist of personnel from all relevant authorities and technical agencies such as Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Public Works Institute.
“The task force will study the hills and developments as landslides can occur, especially during monsoon seasons where there is rain and floods.”
“We are extremely grateful there were no casualties or injuries resulting from this landslide, and we urge all developers to adhere to the guidelines that we have for such developments,” he noted.
The landslide at Bukit Setiawangsa was caused by the accumulation of water in the wall which in turn led to its collapse. The resulting landslide affected a large part of a bungalow, but thankfully no one was injured. The family occupying the house moved out four days ago after noticing signs of an impending landslide.
Due to the threat of landslides and flooding, the government will also create geohazard maps for various hillside areas starting next month, said KL Mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib.
“Technical agencies will also commence creating hazard maps of various hillside areas mid-January, and I have asked Ikram to focus on crucial areas first.”
“This incident should be a lesson of the dangers if hill slope development guidelines are not adhered to,” he added.
Farah Wahida, Editor of PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact her about this or other stories email farahwahida@propertyguru.com.my
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