End them now
After so many deaths, Penang should know by now that hillslope development is not the right thing to do
WE are masters of the art of forgetfulness. Despite so many deaths nationwide from hillside projects, we have not learnt a thing. Ears fall deaf, eyes go blind. From environmental groups through residents’ associations to civil society members, all have called repeatedly for the end of hillside projects. No one seems to pay attention to their cry for help. As if nothing happened, excavators excavate, builders build and quarries quarry. Not long after, tragedies strike bringing fresh reminders to an uncaring lot. The Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy isn’t the first in Penang. But people with power to stop it speak of it as if it is the first. Perhaps a reminder may help. Yesterday, Oct 21, was the first anniversary of the Tanjung Bungah landslide that claimed 11 lives, including the site supervisor. Landslides happen a lot in Malaysia but we learn very little from them. And judging from official statements, the Bukit Kukus landslide, unfortunately, may not be the last. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says hillside projects should be scrutinised for threats to the environment, but Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow says they should continue as there are regulations to control development if they are carried out in environmentally-sensitive areas. If this is so, then Chow owes the people of Penang an explanation: why do tragedies such as Bukit Kukus keep happening despite regulations and professionals at the sites? Something is not right and yet he doesn’t feel the need for an inquiry. All Chow wants is a report from the contractor on why the landslide occurred. “Befuddling” best describes the situation. No contractor in his right mind will come forward to say that he was at fault. The chief minister must be advised that the report is best done by an independent party. We understand Penang is land-stressed; flat land is fast running out. The only way forward for Penang is up the hillslopes. But hillside areas are prone to landslides as gravity will cause soil loosened by men to flood down the slope.
Clearly, hillside projects are not safe. In a paper called “Effect of differential forest management on land-use change in a tropical hill forest of Malaysia”, published in the Journal of Environmental Management (Volume 200, Sept 15, 2017), Masum K.M., Mansor A., Sah SAM and Lim H.S. revealed an annual deforestation rate of 1.4 per cent on Penang island since 1991, which experts contend to be the highest in Southeast Asia. Pointing to a creeping move further into forest reserves, they, quite rightly, call for a ban on hillside developments. Penang will do well to listen to them. Human activities such as tree felling and earthworks increase the fragility of the hillslopes. Hillslopes just don’t come rolling down because the rain wants them to. We disturb the hillsides by deforestation, by building on them and by quarrying there. If there is one lesson to be learnt from past landslides, it must be this: Penang must put an end to hillside projects now. Building on hillsides may help solve Penang’s housing problems, but there is no way it can stop them from slip, sliding away. Gravity rules.
We disturb the hillsides by deforestation, by building on them and by quarrying there.