Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide 081206 (3)

According to experts, these abandoned houses were the cause of the tragedy.

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"Discarded double storey houses the cause of Saturday’s mishap, says expert

KUALA LUMPUR: An abandoned project could have been the cause of the landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa on Saturday, said an expert.

Dr Gue See Sew, a geotechnical engineer who specialises in
landslides, said abandoned projects were very dangerous when it came
to landslides.

“The site is not completed and there is no maintenance of the site,” he said, adding that the lack of maintenance, especially of slopes could cause them to collapse.

Dr Gue, who spoke to reporters yesterday, toured the site of the landslide.

The abandoned project, consisting of two rows of double storey units, are located at Jalan Wangsa 9 immediately above the collapsed slope.

Dr Gue believed the project could have been abandoned for more than twenty years.

He said residents in the area should also be evacuated until the landslide has been cleared and the slope strengthened.

“The surrounding slopes would share a similar geological profile and they need to make it safe before people can move back into their homes,” he said.

Institution of Engineers said that Saturday’s landslide was not caused by any new development.

Vice-president Tan Yean Chin said there had not been any development on the hillslope that collapsed for the past 15 to 20 years.

“I can see some abandoned houses on top of the hillslope. So, any
slope failure in this case is not due to new development,” he said
after visiting the landslide area.

Tan said the abandoned houses could mean the possibility of old pipes leaking or bursting which had not been discovered.

He said Malaysia should follow Hong Kong’s footsteps in addressing the safety of hillslopes and abandoned housing projects.

He said Hong Kong experienced several landslides in the 1980s but
brought them under control after the government evaluated the safety
of all existing hillslopes.

“The institution put forward a recommendation on this matter in 2001 and this is the right time for it to be taken seriously by the
Government and local authorities,” he said.

On the frequent occurrence of landslides in Bukit Antarabangsa, Tan said:

“This landslide is man-made. Bukit Antarabangsa has the same
geological factors as other parts of Kuala Lumpur, or even Malaysia.

“We share the same type of soil and rock.

There is underground water everywhere,” he said."

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The same expert also mentioned these in his previous report: