Landslide: Campsite underneath slope a recipe for disaster

SHAH ALAM – Aside from the yearly floods that Malaysia experience, experts forecast that Malaysia may also face landslides as the northeast monsoon season comes around, especially in December.

Following the landslide which took place in Batang Kali at 3am yesterday, Universiti Malaya Meteorological lecturer Prof Dato Dr Azizan Abu Samah said that the undesired event boiled down to the rain frequency as the water entered the soil which made it saturated and caused the slope to become unstable and resulting in a landslide.

Hence, Dr Azizan advised the public to be vigilant if they wished to visit an area such as Cameron Highlands by surveying beforehand the landscape surrounding the territory as a safety measure.

“We need to be vigilant if, let’s say if we want to go to Cameron Highlands; check if the hotel that we plan to stay is close to a slope, maybe look for one that is a little bit distanced away since there is a possibility of a landslide,” he reminded fellow Malaysians around the school holiday season.

The professor who served at the Department of Geology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in Universiti Malaya noted that the slope at the scene of the incident was situated next to a road which is usually built by carrying out a cut and fill process considering the road was to be constructed along a slope edge.

According to him, the campsite operating down the slope was problematic and helped increase the chance of a natural disaster.

He further expanded the factor circle of the tragedy covering the party responsible for building roads which he followed by insisting on the need for monitoring.

“Monitoring needs to be carried out more thoroughly. Such an event does not happen immediately, it takes time.

“We would see cracks signalling that a slope is no longer stable. There will be a critical point at which the land weight is unbearable anymore and the suction pressure has reached zero, then the land will slide, but sadly, the recent one happened at night that one could hardly escape from,” the senior research fellow emphasised the importance of the safety measure routine.

He insisted that there needed to be a ruling for a slope of certain level to be filled with forest to strengthen the land.

“There needs to be a ruling that forbids a slope at a certain level to be opened and instead needs to be let filled with forest which strengthens the land as its roots will grip the soil stimulating evapotranspiration by which the leaves on the tree will chase out the water from the ground by evaporation,” he added.

Natural Treasures Protection Organisation (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil when asked whether the forest near the scene was a forest reserve or there was logging taking place, she replied, “We are currently investigating since, as we all know, there are too many deforestations whether they are reserved forest or land government. Many forest reserves had been gazetted as government land which can be handed over to anyone they wish to.”

She said that the speed of development in the Titiwangsa Range or Highlands beyond 400 metre above sea level coupled with carelessness and lack of care in the enforcement of mitigation against the surrounding environment cannot be continued because it will weaken and loosen the foundation of the backbone and become the cause of landslides or headwater flooding.

Furthermore, Sabrina shared Peka’s suggestions in a Genting Highlands Hulu Selangor Special Area Plan (RKK) draft for all forests & vegetations outside the protected area which include development or agriculture is not allowed.

Secondly, she said that sustainable logging was only allowed based on sustainable forest management and thirdly there should be no loss of biodiversity in the converted forest landscape.

As a strong protest towards the special area plan, the Peka president recalled that the association had argued that the area spanning ​​220 hectares of the sloping highland forest must be protected to become a fortress against the phenomenon of global warming, climate change and extreme weather.

In addition to that, Peka had also suggested that the Selangor government repurchase the land and make the entire area a permanent forest reserve.

“That's why I recommended gazetting the Titiwangsa Range and no development to be allowed above 400 metres above sea level," the environmentalist added.

Meanwhile, Selangor Forestry Department (forest operation) deputy director Norddin Noor revealed that the initial check found that the area involved in the landslide was outside the forest reserve area.

"Following the landslide incident near Father's Organic Farm, an initial check found that this area is outside the forest reserve.

"However, the closest distance to compartment 47/56 of the Batang Kali Forest Reserve is approximately 40 metres.

“A field check will be made by the Hulu Selangor District Forest Department team," he said.

As of 7.10pm yesterday, the death toll of the tragedy was at 21.

The search and rescue (SAR) efforts were ongoing to find the remaining 12 victims who were still unaccounted for.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had requested that camping activities in areas near hills and river banks to be halted.