Tanjung Bungah ticking time bomb?
Work has been going on for more than a year, says a resident
PENANG residents living near a place where a major landslide occurred on Sunday are now casting anxious looks in the direction of a ‘wounded’ hill.
RESIDENTS living near Persiaran Tanjung Bungah, where a landslide and sinkhole caused part of a newly-built set of luxury homes to collapse on Sunday, have raised concerns over earthworks at an adjacent plot of hill.
Checks at the site yesterday showed the earthworks were for a road project.
A resident, James Nunes, 68, said he had been following the progress of the project but was unsure what the developers were building.
“Work has been going on for more than a year. We can see a large bald patch, which is partially covered by tarpaulin. There are also visible signs of landslide.
Nunes said while residents feared for their safety, there was nothing much they could do.
“We objected when they built double-storey houses in the past but our complaints went unheeded. So, what is the point? No one will listen to us,” he said.
Tan Ewe Bee, 73, who has been staying near the hill for more than 10 years, said from a lush pristine hill, new high-rise buildings began to appear a few years ago. He said now, more earthworks were being carried out on the hill in front of his home.
“The state authority said it was approved previously and there was nothing much the present administration could do.
“But, as the state government now, the onus is on the Penang government to ensure our safety.”
He said he feared the landslide on Sunday could happen again if actions were not taken.
“The other day, a large boulder fell from the hill. Also, water came gushing down like a waterfall.
“This is dangerous, and possibly, a disaster waiting to strike if left unattended,” he added.
Citizens Awareness Chant Group adviser Yan Lee urged the landowner to engage a geotechnical engineer to check on the safety of the hill.
“We also want Penang Island City Council (MBPP) geotechnical consultants unit (GCU) adviser Dr Chin Yaw Ming to give an assurance since he had recently said that hillslopes were not ‘ticking time bombs’ if they undergo stringent processes that cover planning, design, construction and maintenance before approval is given.
“We want him to give an audit of this hill and declare it safe. He has the professional liability and duty to care for the safety of the people,” he said.
Yesterday, MBPP engineering department head Addnan Mohd Razali gave an assurance that residential areas in Tanjung Bungah were safe for occupancy.
He said the city council had ordered the project developer to ask its consultants to identify the cause of the landslide and sinkhole, and mitigate the problem.
Page 1 pic: A stretch of exposed land on a hill near Persiaran Tanjung Bungah in George Town, Penang.