Will fatal landslide spur state to protect hills?

Significant damage: Filepic showing cleared hillslopes in Paya Terubong.

It’s not surprising that developers have targeted hillslopes including along the coast to erect blocks, much to the chagrin of many Penangites.

The landslide in Tanjung Bungah, where 14 people were buried under tonnes of earth, comes as no surprise in view of hillslope activities being carried out there.

What was surprising was that the landslide occurred when there was no rain.

Landslides hit several parts of the island during the flood on Sept 15 and pictures were highlighted to the media by the Residents Association of Penang at a press conference.

Penang Forum, a body comprising several civic groups, will hold a briefing for representatives from both sides of the political divide and the public at the Penang Teow Chew Association in Chulia Street on Oct 29.

Their aim is to provide detailed information to assemblymen and MPs so they can raise the issue at the Penang state assembly sitting from Nov 2 and in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Star ran a series of stories on illegal hill clearing on Penang Hill, Paya Terubong and three hillslopes in Sungai Ara as well as massive hill clearing near the Teluk Bahang Dam in September and October last year.

The pictures clearly showed a significant impact on the environment.

Who can forget Bukit Relau (Botak Hill), which has come to symbolise the ugliness of hill destruction?

The bald spot can be seen all the way from the Penang Bridge and on a clear day, even from the mainland. But beyond press statements, nothing much was done by the state and the Penang Island City Council to charge the culprits in court.

Following the reports, Penang Forum launched Penang Hills Watch (PHW), an online platform for the public to report illegal hill clearing activities, on Oct 30 last year.

In February this year, the state government acknowledged that nine out of 29 hill-clearing cases on the island were illegal.

But nothing much was done by the state government which scored high marks in some fields but seemed to be closing an eye to this environmental degradation.

In June, outspoken former Penang Island city councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui said the state’s policies had exposed the island’s shorelines and hills to massive development.

In the aftermath of the landslide in Tanjung Bungah, Penang Forum representative Anil Netto said the hillslope project was highlighted by PHW last year and reported to the state government in January.

He said there was ample warning. But apparently, nothing was done.

Tanjung Bungah Residents Association chairman Meenakshi Raman has called for a commission of inquiry into the latest landslide and an immediate stop to hillslope developments.

The ball is in the court of the state government and the council. Will leaders continue to be lackadaisical or will they throw the book at errant parties? Penangites want strong action to protect Mother Nature.