More needs to be done to mitigate flashfloods, landslides and traffic jams in Hulu Langat

The Star, Friday March 29, 2013

By OH ING YEEN
ingyeen@thestar.com.my
Photo by Rohaizat Md Darus

Danger zone: Although there are many tourist attractions in Hulu Langat, residents have had to put up with several landslides over the years, including one in Jalan Sungai Tekali.

 

Hulu Langat is well endowed with beautiful forests, waterfalls and hot springs. However, the constituency urgently needs access roads to other towns. 

Hulu Langat is the fifth largest district in Selangor with a mix of urban and rural settlements. The state seats in this constituency are Kajang, Semenyih and Dusun Tua.

It is known for its recreational spots such as the Sungai Congkak and Gunung Nuang recreational forest, Pangsun River, and Sungai Gabai and Sungai Batangsi waterfalls.

Locals visit the waterfalls, especially during weekends, for a dip in the river or have a picnic with family and friends.

For camping or picnics, another place of interest is the Sungai Tekala Recreational Park, established in 1982.

Hulu Langat is also known for its hot springs that attract both local and foreign tourists, and these are located in Semenyih, Kampung Sungai Serai and Batu 16 Dusun Tua.

There are also several homestays offered near the places of interests. The district is part of the Le Tour De Langkawi route.

The Kuala Lumpur-Seremban, Cheras-Kajang, Lekas and Silk highways offer access into Hulu Langat.

Before its closure, the Ampang Look Out Point (ALOP) drew locals and tourists, especially at night, as it offers a panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur.

However, Hulu Langat made the headlines recently due to landslides, erosions and collapsed roads, including the erosion at ALOP last year.

After the landslide, Public Works Department slope department used hydroseeding (a planting process that aids erosion control) and fibremat (used to stabilise surfaces) to strengthen the slope.

Less than two weeks later and less than 10km away, a section of Jalan Sungai Tekali was closed after one lane caved in 100 to 150m in depth. The road was used by some as an alternative route to Semenyih.

In addition, part of KM20 Jalan Sungai Lalang collapsed, resulted in eroded soil flowed into the Semenyih Dam and three vehicles plunged into the reservoir slope.

In December last year, it was reported that the road would be closed to the public for at least six months to facilitate repair work.

Also, in May 2011, 16 boys from an orphanage lost their lives to a landslide in Batu 14, Hulu Langat.

Aside from natural disasters, Hulu Langat residents are concerned over the MyRapid Transit (MRT).

Some residents protested against the construction of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line as they do not want its construction too near their houses while some welcomed the convenience of public transportation.

Relaxing spot: Sungai Congkak in Hulu Langat is popular with picnickers and outdoor lovers especially during the weekends. — By ROHAIZAT MDD ARUS/ The Star

 Meanwhile, residents living in Jalan Hulu Langat, which has several single-lane bottlenecks, want an alternative route in and out of the constituency. At the moment, the main road provides access to several villages in the area.

MPKj’s decision to vacate Ampang Look Out Point was spot on

The Star, Saturday December 29, 2012

THE decision to vacate the Ampang Look Out Point (ALOP) proved to be right when a landslide occurred on Nov 15.

There were erosion and soil movement a few days earlier before it worsened into a landslide, causing Jalan Ampang-Hulu Langat to be closed.

There were no casualties as the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) had instructed restaurant owners to vacate their premises on Jan 18.

However, there was a tussle between traders and the authorities over the closure of the restaurants.

Council president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman was quoted saying ALOP’s closure order was carried out after the operators were noted to have done extensive renovation close to the steep slope.

“The decision was taken based on the possible danger it poses to visitors and operators,” he said.

On Jan 21 (“Residents and traders protest closure of Ampang Look Out Point”), StarMetro reported that the council had issued five notices from Aug 10 last year to Jan 17 this year.

After the landslide, Public Works Department (PWD) slope department used hydroseeding (a planting process that aids erosion control) and fibremat (used to stabilise surfaces) to strengthen the slope.

PWD will also build a new drain in place of the one that gave way after the landslide.

Some of the furniture and items are still on site and MPKj instructed ALOP restaurant operators to remove their belongings from the area early this month.

In 2011, it was reported that a large crack was found in a corner of the original ALOP structure and the floor area.

The report also stated that the slope below the supporting pillars of the structure was unstable following a minor landslip.

Signs of a larger landslip were also spotted on the steep slope below the team-building facility at ALOP.

Last year, state Economic Planning Unit (Upen) issued a notice dated Nov 11, instructing ALOP to close for six months, reportedly to have settled all standing issues in the area.

However, ALOP continued to operate as usual and the management had filed an injunction against the authorities and an appeal had been made against it.

The Shah Alam High Court ruled in favour of the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) at the hearing on Feb 20 this year.

Launched in 2001, the RM20mil ALOP has passed hands from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to MPKj to the current owner, Selangor Tourism.

The Star, Thursday December 6, 2012

Council finally starts strengthening hillside in Taman Bukit Kajang Baru

Story and photo by OH ING YEEN 

ingyeen@thestar.com.my 

Work begins: After numerous complaints from residents since 2000, the council finally start strengthening this Bukit Baru Kajang hillside.

AFTER numerous complaints from residents since 2000, work to strengthen the slope along Jalan 12, Taman Bukit Kajang Baru in Kajang has finally commenced and is expected to be completed by June next year.

Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, Bangi assemblyman Dr Shafie Abu Bakar, representatives from Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) and Ikram visited the site yesterday.

“It has been a long wait since 1999, when I was the Kajang assemblyman.

“I hope this can quell residents’ fears,” Shafie said.

Teo said the council requested RM1.3mil from the Housing and Local Government Ministry for slope repair works in 2007.

“It was approved but the council claimed that it did not receive the funds.

“The cost later escalated as the erosion has worsened.

“MPKj will be using RM2.1mil from its developer deposit funds,” she said.

Ikram consultant Mohd Firdaus Ismail said they would be using the soil nail method to repair the slope.

“The monsoon season is a hindrance to slope repair works as rainwater will erode the soil,” he explained.

During the September full board meeting, MPKj president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman had said the council appointed a contractor in September to strengthen the slope (“Council takes over”, Sept 27,StarMetro).

StarMetro had previously reported that landslips occurred in the area in 2000 and 2005.

The Star, Saturday December 1, 2012

Residents still living in fear

KAJANG: Residents living near Madrasah Al-Taqwa Orphanage here worry about the possible recurrence of last year's tragic landslide, which claimed 16 lives.

One of the residents, who only wanted to be known as Norhayati, said she felt tremors during the landslide on May 21 last year.

The 50-year-old, who has been living in the area for the past seven years, still remembered vivdly what happened then.

She was also voicing her concerns over a recent incident in Hulu Langat which very nearly resulted in a similar loss of lives.

“It rains a lot nowadays, so I am a bit worried. I am unsure whether or not this (loss of lives due to landslide) will happen again,” she said yesterday.

Norhayati hoped that “the authorities will initiate preventive measures to ensure such tragic incidents do not happen again”.

Lorry driver Al Hadi Aziz, 29, who has been living near the place where the landslide had occurred, said he moved to another area soon after the incident.

Al Hadi recalled how he had frantically helped in the rescue works during last year's tragedy.

“I helped to extract some of the bodies from the rubble,” he said.

Al Hadi urged the authorities to put in place the necessary measures to make the place safe again.

The Star, Saturday December 1, 2012

There is a possibility of another landslide in Hulu Langat as heavy rains prolong, warns PWD

Reports by P. ARUNA, AUSTIN CAMOENS, LOSHANA K SHAGAR, YVONNE LIM, THAM WEE NIE, CHIANG PANG FEI and FELIX CULAS

Standing by: Rescue workers and journalists waiting near the Jalan Kerchau cave-in, near the Semenyih dam.

PETALING JAYA: The Public Works Department has advised residents in the Hulu Langat area to be on “high alert” following two landslides in the area within the past week.

“There is always a possibility of another landslide, especially during and after heavy or prolonged rainfall,” said PWD slope engineering unit headDr Che Hassandi Abdullah.

He urged those living on hilly terrain and near slopes to heed the warnings and alerts from the department and the local authorities.

“The hillslopes in Hulu Langat are among the landslide-prone areas identified by the department in its National Slope Master Plan Study,” he said yesterday.

On Monday, heavy rain caused a minor rockslide behind the kitchen wall of the Perkid welfare home, near Kajang, snapping two pillars and endangering the lives of four girls there.

On Thursday, five people - travelling in three vehicles - narrowly escaped injury when a stretch along Jalan Kerchau, near the Semenyih dam, collapsed.

On May 21 last year, a killer landslide claimed the lives of 16 young people from the Madrasah Al-Taqwa Orphanage, near Kajang, following overnight rain.

Asked about the road collapse near the Sememyih dam, Dr Che Hassandi said the department could not be certain what caused it until a thorough investigation was done.

“We believe it is either due to leakage of a culvert, water seepage (under ground), softening and weakening of the toe of the embankment or a combination of these elements.”

However, he said the department was not aware of the exact number of high hazard and high-risk slopes in Hulu Langat as a hazard and risk mapping study had yet to be carried out.

He urged the Selangor Government to carry out the study, adding that the PWD was prepared to provide technical advice.

There are reportedly 21,000 landslide-prone areas nationwide, with 16,000 or 76% of the areas in peninsula Malaysia, about 3,000 in Sabah and 2,000 in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) river basin and coastal management division chief Datuk Lim Chow Hock said the slopes and types of soil in the area made Hulu Langat landslide-prone whenever there was heavy rainfall.

He said landslides were caused by either sudden, high intensity rain or continuous rain over two or three days that weaken the soil.

Another high-risk area in the Klang Valley, he said, was Bukit Antarabangsa in Ampang.

Check on road works that might lead to tragedies, authorities urged Reports by P. ARUNA, AUSTIN CAMOENS, LOSHANA K SHAGAR, YVONNE LIM, THAM WEE NIE, CHIANG PANG FEI and FELIX CULAS KAJANG: A welfare home operator here wants the authorities to check on road works carried out by contractors that might contribute to landslides or rockslides in the area. President of Perkid Malaysia Masridzi Sat said a rockslide early this week snapped two pillars and endangered the lives of four girls who were at the home for girls. Masridzi claimed the incident happened after road contractors left mounds of rubble next to the kitchen wall, blocking the drains there. “During the downpour, it is a common sight to have rainwater flooding the kitchen. The pressure of the rainwater proved too much for the kitchen pillars to bear,” he said. According to Masridzi, there was a mudslide after contractors build a road behind the home. Masridzi hoped that the authorities will take the necessary action to prevent such an incident from occurring again. “The land here is already prone to landslides. If contractors want to build better roads for us, they should build it on lower ground and take precautions while disposing rubble. This will make it safer not just for us but also for the other houses around this area.” A resident, who wished to be known only as Azie, was one of the four girls in the kitchen at the time of the incident. “We were preparing dinner at that time. Suddenly we heard some loud cracks behind the wall. We thought that the rocks were going to fall through the wall. But instead, the pillars snapped.” Since the incident, the residents have temporarily relocated their kitchen. Although the residents live in fear each time it rains heavily, this does not prevent them from carrying on with their daily lives.

The Star, Saturday December 1, 2012

Check on road works that might lead to tragedies, authorities urged

KAJANG: A welfare home operator here wants the authorities to check on road works carried out by contractors that might contribute to landslides or rockslides in the area.

President of Perkid Malaysia Masridzi Sat said a rockslide early this week snapped two pillars and endangered the lives of four girls who were at the home for girls.

Masridzi claimed the incident happened after road contractors left mounds of rubble next to the kitchen wall, blocking the drains there.

“During the downpour, it is a common sight to have rainwater flooding the kitchen. The pressure of the rainwater proved too much for the kitchen pillars to bear,” he said.

According to Masridzi, there was a mudslide after contractors build a road behind the home.

Masridzi hoped that the authorities will take the necessary action to prevent such an incident from occurring again.

“The land here is already prone to landslides. If contractors want to build better roads for us, they should build it on lower ground and take precautions while disposing rubble. This will make it safer not just for us but also for the other houses around this area.”

A resident, who wished to be known only as Azie, was one of the four girls in the kitchen at the time of the incident.

“We were preparing dinner at that time. Suddenly we heard some loud cracks behind the wall. We thought that the rocks were going to fall through the wall. But instead, the pillars snapped.”

Since the incident, the residents have temporarily relocated their kitchen. Although the residents live in fear each time it rains heavily, this does not prevent them from carrying on with their daily lives.

The Star, Saturday December 1, 2012

Family and two others plunge down collapsed road

Reports by P. ARUNA, AUSTIN CAMOENS, LOSHANA K SHAGAR, YVONNE LIM, THAM WEE NIE, CHIANG PANG FEI and FELIX CULAS

On the brink: A man looking over the collapsed part of the road at KM20 Jalan Sungai Lalang in Semenyih. — SHAARI CHEMAT / The Star

KAJANG: Five people narrowly escaped death while travelling on a road which collapsed near the Semenyih dam after several days of rain.

A car driven by a couple and their daughter and a van driven by a man plunged 30m into a river bank.

A security guard who went to investigate on his motorcycle hit into the rubble of the collapsed road and also slid down the river bank.

The Fire and Rescue Department was notified at around 7.43pm on Wednesday, minutes after it occurred, said operations officer Seman Awang.

Fifteen men in two engines were dispatched to the scene from Kajang and Bangi, he said at the scene.

“By the time we arrived at 8.24pm, the five had got to safety,” he added.

Seman said the road would be closed until its “structural integrity” had been thoroughly examined.

The guard, Mohd Khair Abdullah Zabar, was working at the Semenyih dam here on Wednesday night when he noticed two sets of headlights shining down towards the river at about 8pm.

“I also heard a loud noise that sounded like a tree falling.

“That's when I got on my motorcycle to investigate,” said the 20-year-old.

“There were no street lights as the electricity had been cut. In my hurry to find out what had happened, I did not realise that a part of the road had collapsed.”

Mohd Khair said his motorcycle hit into some rubble and slid down the bank, where the overturned car was. Further away was the van.

Close call: The car and the motor cycle lying on the slope near the Semenyih dam.

He helped Sukri Serajudin, 32, and his wife Noor Shazwani Mohd Adnan, 24, pull their two-year-old child Noraina Qaisara from the backseat.

Together with the man in the van, they climbed up to the road, where Mohd Khair stopped a passing car and asked the driver to inform the police.

”The others were taken in an ambulance to the Kajang Hospital. My sister took me to the nearest clinic. I was only slightly injured,” Mohd Khairi said.

Kajang police station's Insp Zamri Musa, who was at the scene, said that about 500m of the road had been cordoned off within two hours of the landslide.

He expects the road to remain closed for at least six months for repairs.

The Star, Friday November 30, 2012

Narrow escape for five following a landslide

KAJANG: Five people had a narrow escape when part of a road collapsed near the Semenyih dam following a minor landslide along Jalan Kechau.

“The landslide caused a portion of the road to collapse, which in turn caused three vehicles to plunge nearly 30m into the river bank,” Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Seman Awang said.

The five people were travelling separately in three vehicles – a Perodua Myvi, a van and a motorcycle – at around 7.40pm yesterday.

Seman said by the time two fire engines and 15 firemen arrived at the scene at 8.24pm, passers-by had helped the three men, a woman and a two-year-old child, to get out of their vehicles and brought them to safety.

They were not injured, he added.

Lucky escape for family in Taman Bukit Kajang Baru

Well, here goes another landslide in Kajang. This time in Taman Bukit Kajang Baru as reported in The Star. Fortunately, there were no casulties. There are also a few other areas in the vicinity that have complaint so many times to the local authorities but have felled on deaf ears. Wonder what it takes for them to move their butts.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Friday August 19, 2011

Lucky escape for family

IT was a close call for a family in Taman Bukit Kajang Baru when a retention wall of their house collapsed on Wednesday evening.

 

House owner Loh Wei Chao said his father-in-law was in the compound when the wall crashed and damaged the front part of the house. The eight adults and three children were not at home when the incident took place.

“We have been staying in the house for 15 years and nothing like this has ever happened.

Exposed: The wall collapsed on Wednesday evening at about 7.30pm.

 

“There is a housing project nearby and we can feel the vibrations from the machines,” he said.

He said he had complained to the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) but to no avail.

However, council president Datuk Nawawi Hassan Abdul Rahman said the house owners had flouted the law by building the driveway on a road reserve.

“They have to bear the consequences. Initial findings showed that the wall collapsed due to the owner carrying out earth work. We are still investigating,” he said.

Loh admitted that the driveway was built on a road reserve but they had not received any notice from the council for the past 15 years.

He said an MPKj officer had given him the green light verbally on the earth work in his house,MPKj councillor S.T. Chandramohan said council engineers went to the scene that night and placed tarpaulins over the building as a temporary measure.