Tuesday April 9, 2013

Leakage from Syabas' water pipes most likely cause of 2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, court hears

By QISHIN TARIQ

The slope where the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide took place in 2008.

KUALA LUMPUR: Leakage from Syabas' active water pipes was the most likely cause of the 2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, the High Court here was told.

Civil engineer Datuk Dr Azhaari Muhamad, 59, said water from the leaking pipes would have seeped into the soil gradually over the years, causing the land to become increasingly unstable and unsafe.

He was testifying in the suit by engineer K.Thanarajah against developer Superview Development Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) over the death of his wife, veterinarian Dr N. Yogeswary and damage to their property.

When plaintiffs' counsel GK Ganesan questioned if the water could have drained away naturally, Dr Azhaari said the continuous leak would have caused the soil to remain saturated.

Dr Azhaari listed it as the main cause of the deep-seated slope failure that destroyed 14 bungalows, killed five people and injured 14 more.

He said investigations for the Works Ministry report revealed contributing factors included loose soil from earth dumping by the developer, a poorly-maintained drainage system, prolonged rainfall in October and November 2008, and 'soil creep' which caused cracks as well as pipes to leak in the area.

"Leakage must have occurred over a long period. Rainwater at that period before the landslide alone could not have caused this kind of soil liquefaction.

"A drop of water can become a pail of water over time," Dr Azhaari said.

Another nine former residents and survivors of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide have filed separate suits to the High Court registry.

In their respective suits, they claimed that the landslide that resulted in the loss of life and damage to vehicles, other personal belongings and their properties was solely due to the breach of duty of care and negligence on the part of the developer and Syabas.

They said Syabas owed a duty to design, construct, maintain and lay the active water pipes in a safe manner so that it did not leak and saturate the land with water.

Lawyers Ganesan, Sunther Thulasi and Nurashikin Mansoor acted for the plaintiffs, while defendants' counsel were T. Kuhendran for Superview Development, together with Steven Thiru and David Mathew for Syabas.

The hearing continues before judicial commissioner Lee Heng Cheong.

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