Tuesday December 2, 2008
Liu: Unstable soil and heavy rain could have caused Ulu Yam landslide
By STUART MICHAEL
Possible cause for Ulu Yam landslide
KUALA KUBU BARU: Part of the Ulu Yam Perdana bungalow housing estate where a landslide killed two siblings is on a former dumpsite, Selangor Local Government, Research and Studies Committee chairman Ronnie Liu revealed.
“I suspect that the soil in the area is not so stable because it was a former dumpsite,” he claimed, adding that this and heavy rain could have contributed to the hillside collapse.
He also said the 44ha development project, comprising 433 bungalow lots, was approved under the previous state government.
Ground zero: All that remains of the bungalow which was hit by the landslide. Liu also said the hillslope where the landslide happened was steep and following Sunday’s tragedy the state had ordered all local authorities in the state to strictly monitor hillslope development approved by the previous state government.
“Since the Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government we have been very strict in granting approvals for hillslope development projects,” said Liu.
Meanwhile, the Hulu Selangor District Council (MDHS) said no approval was given for infrastructure like drains, street lights and roads for the Ulu Yam Perdana housing estate.
MDHS architect Abd Wahab Abd Hamid said the developer had not handed over the housing estate to the council and infrastructure like drains, street lights and roads.
“However, the bungalow affected by the landslide had a certificate of fitness, where there were no other bungalow lots built throughout Ulu Yam Perdana.
Three surveyors from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM)’s natural disaster research centre took soil samples for testing yesterday.
On Sunday, tonnes of earth and stones came crushing into the house, killing sisters Noratirah Roslan, 16, and Nurul Intan Sarina, nine.
Their parents, pilot Roslan Mohd Jalil, 49, and Azizan Madon, 42, and their three other siblings Norlisa Azira, eight, Anis Afina, six, and Norman Afiq, three, who were sleeping in the living room, were unhurt.
The family moved into the bungalow in May 2001.
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