Occupants of some 20 houses in Jalan E6, Taman Melawati have been forced to move out following a landslide. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
RESIDENTS of Taman Melawati in Selangor are calling for a halt to hill slope developments deemed environmentally sensitive, following a landslide in the area yesterday.
Recalling that this was not the first landslide in the neighbourhood, they added that development projects could trigger more of such incidents.
Taman Melawati Residents Association chairman Azhari Abd Taharim said the slope that gave way yesterday was on private land.
“The slope is a Category 2 or 3 (gradient of between 15° and 35°), which should not be touched,” he told StarMetro.
“Even in the draft Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Local Plan 2035 (RT MPAJ), this area is marked as environmentally sensitive.
“There have been numerous landslides in Taman Melawati, and this is one of the major ones.
“We’re lucky there were no injuries this time.”
Several Jalan E6 residents waiting at a nearby community centre after evacuating.
Continuous heavy rain yesterday morning led to the landslide along Jalan E6 in Taman Melawati.It is understood that residents from two rows comprising 20 houses have been told to evacuate, with most of them heading to a nearby community hall.
Among those who moved out was Jalan E6 resident Shireen Nik Ibrahim.
She said her daughter had a close call when she was about to drive to her workplace in the morning.
Her daughter, she said, heard loud noises and saw earth coming down the slope.
“There was a small landslide, followed by a bigger one.
“It took down large trees and damaged a security guard post.
“My daughter was lucky to have been able to leave,” she said when met at the scene.
Shireen added that luckily, her home was not damaged in the incident.
Robiatun says she was given time to take important documents before evacuating.
Another Jalan E6 resident, Robiatun Mohd Yaacob, who has also evacuated, said residents could not remove their vehicles but were given time to take important documents.
“I got the call from neighbours while on the way to work and immediately came back.
“We don’t know when the authorities will be able to clear the area and allow us to go home,” she said.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar said it was notified about the incident at around 11.42am.
The landslide caused a 20m x 20m slope to collapse from a height of 30m.
Several trees also fell around the houses, damaging vehicles.
Residents shared videos on social media, showing the extent of the damage.
In a statement, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) said the cause of the erosion would be determined by the Mineral and Geoscience (JMG) Department.
“The Fire and Rescue Department will temporarily divert drainage at Jalan G2 to reduce water flow to the affected area,” added the council.
