KOTA KINABALU: Two comprehensive reports on the slope instability and geological structure of the landslide-prone Kundasang highlands at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu have been submitted to the Sabah government for further action.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said that the reports which had been compiled in 2011 and 2012 were based on detailed studies done by the Minerals and Geoscience Department.
He said that the first study covered 18 resort sites within the Kundasang area, taking into account the geological aspects, land form, erosion, the site’s physical constraints and assessments on engineering and mitigation proposals.
The second study looked at landslide threats at Dumpiring, Kundasang Lama and the Permai Valley.
These reports were submitted to the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, its Local Government and Housing counterpart and the Sabah Environmental Protection Department, Kurup said.
He noted that the Federal Government’s role was to carry out the study and it was up to the state authorities to implement the recommendations provided in the report.
Kurup, a former deputy Natural Resources and Environment minister had announced in 2011 that a study would be done after the area was found to be sensitive, fragile and possessing a complex geological structure.
The South-East Asia Disaster Programme Research Institute and the Minerals and Geoscience Department found that the area was exposed to minor earthquakes and continuous translational movement of soil.
