‘Missing’ road
Neighbourhood back lane collapses into ravine while denizens sleep
Landslide turns neighbourhood path into steep ravine
Residents staying in Jalan Belian in Bandar Putra here woke up to a shocking sight – the road behind their houses was nowhere in sight and in its place was a steep slope that falls into a 10m deep ravine.
The road had apparently collapsed into the ravine early in the morning yesterday without the residents noticing.
The affected area stretched for about 30m along Jalan Belian 2, causing concern among some 200 residents staying nearby.
Housewife Sarinah Mohd Sahar, 44, said she learned about the landslide at around 7am after being alerted by her neighbours.
“I was sound asleep when it happened, but my neighbours told me that it could have happened at around 3am as she heard a loud sound,” she said when met at Jalan Belian 2 here yesterday.
The mother of six, who has stayed there for four years, said she was worried about the safety of her children as the slope was steep.
Another resident, self-employed JC Lee, 23, who has stayed in the area for five years, believed the landslide was caused by soil erosion that was left unattended from as early as a week ago.
“Although I noticed the erosion, I did not report it to the authorities thinking it would not worsen,” he said, adding that it had also been windy for the past few days.
Bandar Putra Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Mohd Nasib Mohd Sham said a distress call was received at 7.41am and 11 firemen and two fire engines were deployed to the scene.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt. The case has been handed over to the housing developer to rectify,” he said in a statement.
Kulai parliamentary office special officer Wong Bor Yang said the developer had agreed to take immediate remedial action to prevent a repeated event.
He said as an immediate step, the developer would cover the affected stretch with canvas and would carry out repair works as soon as possible.
He said the landslide did not pose a danger to the residents nearby and there was no need for them to be evacuated for now.
Although I noticed the erosion, I did not report it to the authorities thinking it would not worsen. JC Lee