How many lives have been lost this month in landslides. It makes me weep, how many more lives have been ruined, or destroyed due to the loss of loved ones?
Bukit Antarabangar is a miracle, in that dozens more were not lost, with 10 acres worth of landslide on a populous hill only 3 dead is truly a miracle.
My heart goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones and friends over the last few weeks.
When will city hall actually care about these deaths and the disasterous amount of cash spent on fixing these devastated areas. This week we have 2 dead children in Hulu Yam, 15 crushed cars in another miraculous near miss in Damansara, a few months ago was Medan Damansara now another tragedy in Bkt Antarabangsar.
I've been reading a lot of Malaysian history books lately, and do you know that in when the Kinta Land Office was established in Batu Gajah (over 100 years ago) the soil serveys for the whole of Malaya stated that hill slopes shouldn't be touched, as they were catchment for the vast amount of monsoon rains, the soil simply wasn't stable enough and any tampering with them would result in massive landslides and loss of topsoil through erosion.
For over 100 years this has been known, and yet. Here you are, wherever you find a hill in the Klang Valley they're going chop chop chop.
Oooh, erosion, fix with a plastic sheet sure can.
Whatever.
Pak Lah, today I stand by you and say Yes, Stop the hillslope developments, but not just on that one hill, look around you, it happens over and over again, yet still the permits to chop chop chop are granted, despite protests. despite EIAs despite everything that makes sense these delevopers always seem to settle the issue.
Where next, Bukit Gasing, Federal Hill, Kenny Hills, Taman Pantai, Mont Kiara, Bukit Desa? All of these places are dangerously built, and yet people still don't seem to care about the loss of lives, the enviromental destruction, the plain and simple facts that stare you in the face are ignored.
I once again extend my deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased.
Malaysia Star, Malaysia
