Detailed probe underway to ensure soil structure safety following Taman Melawati landslide — MB

• Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said a comprehensive assessment will be conducted to ensure the safety of the land’s structure before residents can safely return home, which could happen within the next day or two.

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16): The Minerals and Geoscience Department began a detailed investigation on Wednesday morning at the landslide site on Jalan E6, Taman Melawati.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (pictured) said a comprehensive assessment will be conducted to ensure the safety of the land’s structure before residents can safely return home, which could happen within the next day or two.

At the same time, he clarified that the landslide on Tuesday morning was not caused by overdevelopment in the area as suggested by some residents.

“The landslide took place on privately owned land that had been registered for a long time, and no development work had been carried out at the site of the landslide itself. However, there is an ongoing development project above the landslide zone.

“The project is still incomplete. It’s not a high-density development, but more of individual bungalow lots," he said after meeting the affected residents at the Taman Melawati temporary disaster relief centre.

He said the state government had granted planning permission for the project in the area 10 years ago, and it went through the Technical Committee for Development in Environmentally Sensitive Areas.

The issue that has now arisen, however, is related to the maintenance of the access roads and drainage system leading to the construction site, which had previously caused water overflow incidents and was followed by Tuesday’s landslide.

Amirudin said residents had filed multiple reports with the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council about water flows near the area, but no follow-up action had been taken.

“That’s why I stressed earlier that we cannot take reports lightly, especially in high-risk areas. In this case, the developer must be reminded or notified. I was informed that residents had submitted reports over the last two to three months.

He also said that the state government had issued a notice to the developer, ordering it to rectify and maintain the land and access roads, adding that should the developer fail to comply, legal action will be taken.

On Tuesday, continuous heavy rainfall triggered the landslide along Jalan E6 in Taman Melawati, prompting authorities to evacuate residents from 20 nearby homes due to safety concerns.

At the time of writing, 23 victims from seven families were taking shelter at the relief centre on Jalan E5, Taman Melawati.

Amirudin also announced that the affected residents will receive RM500 in aid from the District and Land Office, along with additional assistance from the local state assembly service centre.

In a separate matter, he reminded Selangor residents living along the coastline to be prepared for the upcoming king-tide phenomenon expected from Friday to Sunday, which could increase the risk of flooding, especially in coastal areas from Klang to Sabak Bernam.

“As part of our preparation, we will be constructing temporary embankments in areas where permanent embankments are not yet complete. Additionally, district-level operations rooms will be on 24-hour alert, while the state-level command centre will begin operations at midnight tonight,” Amirudin said.

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