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Monday, February 16, 2009

Hillside Developments - Post Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide

I was very surprised and sad reading the newspapers yesterday covering Datuk Ir Md Zin’s press conference with regard to hillside development. It seems that the Public Works Ministry has now agreed to allow hillside development but won’t allow the ‘tip fill’ method for the rectification works on the slope. He also rationalised this by saying that there was a need to allow hillside development as the country needed more housing development to meet the demand for houses. And when an individual started questioning him with regard to the landslide incident at Bukit Antarabangsa, the Minister admitted that the report not been discussed at cabinet level. (STAR, 15 February 2009).

There are a few things I would like to point out to the Minister and the Works Ministry. First and foremost, I agree that population is increasing, especially in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and a few others. I also agree the migration rate from rural areas to Kuala Lumpur is still high and continuous. Lest us not forget about the yearly influx of university, polytechnic graduates into the market. There is a serious need to ensure adequate housing for the increasing population who come to Kuala Lumpur to work as labourers, executives, middle managers and government servants. These people would most probably earn from a low RM1,000 a month to a high of RM5,000 to RM7,000 a month for the more experienced ones.

However, I doubt these people, even those earning RM7,000 a month with a family ( four is a standard statistic – husband, wife and two children) could afford these”hillside development” houses which run into millions of Ringgit per house. Is the Works Ministry going to ensure that to meet the ever increasing population in Kuala Lumpur, it will order the hillside developers who have spent millions of Ringgit and are hoping to sell each house at probably RM1 million at the very minimum, sell these houses at RM50,000 to RM300,000 to meet the demand from the labourers, junior executives, middle manager and government servants? If the Ministry can do that, then I can understand the justification of allowing hillside development.

However, I am very sure that these hillside developments will be built by the rich for the rich.

In order to build more houses for the ever increasing population, I would like to suggest that we decentralise. Go outside Kuala Lumpur. There is still a lot of land off Kajang, Bangi and Nilai for example. The same goes for upnorth at Rawang and Bukit Beruntung. All these places are within an hour’s drive into KL. More so, in decentralising, we can have satellite cities to Kuala Lumpur. Resources such as water, sewerage, electricity and such amenities would also be better managed and not strained compared if too concentrated in Kuala Lumpur.

And I am sure we can build affordable homes for all in these areas.

As for hillside developments, even if we were to go ahead with it, I want to see more than just an announcement. Where are the studies? What could and should be done to cure the slopes that could meet the stringent standards that should be set? I was told DS Najib said that the Works Ministry should study how hillside development is done in Hong Kong. So where are the findings of the study? Have the Works Ministry officials even gone to Hong Kong and discussed with their counterparts on this issue?

And what has changed in terms of standard, regulations, requirements, laws and method to address hillside development problems that has warranted the Works Ministry to allow back such developments? Is it enough by just saying that the Ministry will not allow tip fill method anymore? So what method is allowed? At what gradient is it considered safe? And what type of soil? I was told Bukit Antarabangsa area is a water catchment area, meaning the soil is loose in structure. Would any method or whatever done to the soil be safe? Should hillside developments even be allowed at all at these sensitive areas?

Where are the revised laws and regulations to ensure no one else dies because of human error? I want all these answered at the very minimum before any such developments be allowed.

Based on Star’s report yesterday, the landslide report had not been discussed at cabinet level. Was the decision made only at Works Ministry level?

I hope those responsible will act responsibly. As I mentioned in my first posting on the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy, what if the next landslide victim is a loved one or someone close? And what if the landslide occurred because of human error, carelessness and greed? I pray that won’t happen to any of us.

4 comments:

Chris Cjin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris Cjin said...

You are so right! It's sad to find a high ranking UMNO official and Minister to boot -- who talks off his head without checking his facts. Fact is, he made a statement before it was deliberated at the cabinet. He was only pandering to the rich - the rich developers, and the rich home owners. Any fool can tell him that Hong Kong's hillside development is different on two counts - one, the land is different - Malaysia is limestone -- pretty much hollow on the inside whereas HK is hard granite! two, HK is an island where space is a constraint .. Malaysia is blessed with lots of land, so why are we so desperate to add on unnecessary developed acreage in KL when what we need are green lungs and water catchment areas? I suggest that this Minister should be sacked! He makes the government look and sound corrupted! Government servants ought to serve and care for the rakyat - the way he treated the concerned citizen at the press con was shameful and inappropriate. Who put him there, he thinks? The Rakyat - and he is accountable to the Rakyat in the end! His behaviour is sooooo typical of the kind of UMNO leaders who need to be weeded out because they think they can lord over others by virtue of their position. We should all endeavour to turn KL in a beautiful GLOBAL CITY .. great infra, well thought out development, lots of green lungs -- not the kind where the moment we drive right into the DUTA interchange and run smack into an ugly overbuilt jungle of condos in Mont Kiara and get hit with bad traffic. YB Zin deserves to be villified and sacked. I wouldn't cry a tear for him for his lack of compassion towards those who lost family and friends at Bukit Antarabangsa!

Anonymous said...

I find it hard to believe that this is the statement that the Minister of Works would make so soon after a tragedy like Bukit Antarabangsa.

KL is overcrowded and the plan is to allow more development projects? on hillsides??? somebody give this man an award.

CheeWee said...

another public relation disaster! bro, it is time to hire a good PR man. So many PR fumbles past months!