A prolonged downpour caused the riverbank at Taman Lembah Maju to collapse, damaging two vehicles. — Courtesy photo
RESIDENTS living near slopes and other high-risk areas in Ampang Jaya, Selangor are asked to be extra cautious following two landslides on Saturday.
Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail said the area’s hilly terrain coupled with the year-end monsoon season could increase the risk of further landslides.
“I remind residents to be observant about any changes in their surroundings, especially if they live near hilly areas or slopes.
“We have been hearing about retaining walls giving way and in some cases this happened due to a lack of proper maintenance,” she said during a river cleaning activity in Ampang yesterday.
Rodziah said residents who notice potential signs of slope failure could contact the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) Slope Unit for further action.
She added that Kampung Dato Mufti Shuib and Kampung Bukit Sungai Puteh had been flagged as potential landslide hotspots.
On Saturday, a minor landslide was reported in Kampung Bukit Sungai Puteh.
Rodziah says there is an increased risk of landslides in the area.Separately, rain caused a river embankment at Taman Lembah Maju to collapse, damaging two vehicles. However, no casualties were reported.
MPAJ, in a statement, said the 10m-high Sungai Kerayong tributary’s embankment had given way, causing two parked vehicles to nearly fall into the river.
MPAJ stated that the two vehicles were towed away, while the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) would repair the damaged embankment.
“The public, especially Ampang residents, are reminded to be prepared for any kind of disaster, particularly during the monsoon transition and rainy season, which is often accompanied by heavy rain and strong wind,” MPAJ said.
Previously, the council said it had identified 12 community halls to serve as temporary evacuation centres (PPS) in the event of floods or other disasters during the monsoon season.
MPAJ added that the halls would also serve as incident control centres.
Among the locations are Dewan Perbandaran MPAJ, Dewan Dato’ Ahmad Razali, Dewan Lembah Jaya Utara and Dewan Ukay Perdana.
It added that training and disaster preparedness simulations have been conducted, with the most recent in early September.
This included water rescue techniques, victim recovery methods as well as rescue boat operations.
In addition to training and asset mobilisation, MPAJ is actively carrying out clearing of overgrown vegetation in monsoon drains within the municipality, said the statement.
The areas include Taman Mawar, Taman Puncak Bukit Utama, Taman Zooview, Kemensah Heights and Taman Keramat.
In the event of any emergency or disaster, residents can call the MPAJ hotline at 1-800-22-8100 or the Pantas squad at 03-4280 9050/ 4296 8100/8085.
