Thursday June 21, 2012

CIDB: Developer can do more to improve slope management

GEORGE TOWN: The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has told the developer of a hillslope project in Mount Erskine here that it can do a lot to improve on slope management.

CIDB chief executive Datuk Seri Dr Judin Abdul Karim said the developer could, for example, stop further soil erosion and have better soil protection.

He said that even if there were no major problems at present, steps could be taken to prevent problems from cropping up in future.

“Nothing has happened here yet, but we are concerned because people have already been expressing their concern.

“So, if we can highlight some of the issues to the contractor and they can take some remedial measures now, then there may not be any problems later,” he said during a site visit.

Jamaluddin Non, chairman of the Construction Industry Best Practices Advisory Committee (CIBPAC), set up under the CIDB, said the committee would study the issues at the site before formulating recommendations to the developer and Penang Municipal Council in two weeks' time.

CIDB and CIBPAC representatives visited another housing project in Sungai Ara later in the day where there were issues raised on the distance between the retaining wall and the slope.

However, the project developer has refuted claims that the hillside development was said to be above the 75m safety zone.

Ivory Properties Group Berhad (IPGB) executive director and chief operating officer M. Murly said the construction site of The Peak Residences project at Mount Erskine was never above the safety zone of 75m.

“It is between 24m and 39m. When we talk about no development above 75m, we are talking about ground level. Some protection and earth works may be done above 75m but not building works,” he said at Birch House.

Murly was responding to a news report on Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu's visit to the site to see how the hill was “being killed” with little or no monitoring of what was going on.

On the granite stones on top of the hill, Murly said the stones were actually piled up for re-use as crusher run in building roads and retaining walls.

On Teh's claim that there was no proper drainage for rainwater to flow down the hill, he said IPGB had been aware of the sensitivities of the neighbouring housing area and there had been no complaints so far.

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