Disasters are not inevitable
LANDSLIDES are not some unheard of phenomenon in the country. The frequency is alarming. From 1991 through to the most recent incident in Serendah, there have been 17 major instances. The Highland Towers collapse of December 1993 with 48 fatalities is what brought this “natural disaster” to the attention of every Malaysian, but obviously, it does little to prevent similar disasters. Not too long afterwards, in May 1999, another major landslide occurred not too far away, near Bukit Antarabangsa. Only two survived the disaster. Again in the nearby vicinity of Taman Hillview, Ukay Heights, in November 2002, a landslide nearly buried a bungalow causing fatalities. The proximity of the three incidents highlighted the weakness in the law and its implementation with regard to landslide preventive measures.
In the case of Bukit Antarabangsa where lives were lost and property damaged, it was obvious that the authority responsible had been less than earnest in monitoring the development to ensure compliance of terms and conditions. The same is true for the Highland Towers tragedy. All three landslides occurred despite the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) introduced in 1988. Unfortunately, the law prevented legal action from being taken against the local council. Following the
Bukit Antarabangsa disaster, however, the then prime minister ordered a temporary halt to all hillslope developments for a month pending investigations. Additionally, the problem, which naturally takes years to manifest means that lawsuits against developers were time barred.
And yet, if the authorities would ensure that terms and conditions imposed on development projects intends clearly to avoid landslides and there is vigilance by the responsible council to monitor projects at every stage, the problem would almost certainly be resolved. In Japan, the law is clear: “Facilities for landslide prevention must be constructed in observance of items listed…” Emphasis is on providing adequate drainage to remove surface and groundwater — the main causes of landslides. The law then specifies clearly what measures are to be put in place like open drain, box culvert, drainage tunnel and more. The law specifies clearly that retaining walls built must suitably prevent the possibility of landslides. It, too, states clearly that dam, groundsill and other anti-landslide features “must be particularly fit for the scale of landslide and for prevention of erosion by flowing water”.
Does it not follow that if the front end is taken care of the rest will take care of itself; barring a force majeure? Research has also shown that, in most cases, design and execution of development is to blame; every development signed off, therefore, must take this into account. Unfortunately, research also shows that officers responsible are less than aware of the real dangers lurking behind development projects. Penang is a prime example where the double jeopardy of incompetence and overly rapid development has brought about a serious degradation in the environment which includes landslides and frequent flash floods. Serendah, meanwhile, where eyewitness accounts talk of cars spinning and hearing a loud bang prior to the land slipping is urging the authorities to take heed.