MPAJ: Ampang landslide clean-up to take three weeks

IT will take up to three weeks to complete clean-up works in Taman Bukit Permai and Taman Mega Jaya, Ampang Jaya in Selangor, following the deadly landslide early this month.

Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim estimates that more than 546 lorry loads of debris will need to be removed from the site.

“On Saturday, we removed the last three vehicles that were buried under the debris and hopefully, there are no others.

“Clean-up will be done by MPAJ up to 100m from the foot of the slope, while KDEB Waste Management will ensure the drains are not obstructed,” he said when contacted by StarMetro.

He said the various agencies including Public Works Department, Malaysian Institute of Public Works (Ikram) and Minerals and Geoscience Department would need to complete their investigations before issuing a recommendation for slope repair works.

It was reported that Housing and Local Government Ministry would channel RM1mil to MPAJ for the cleaning up of the landslide site and that allocation would be extended once the area was classified as safe.

StarMetro had previously reported that short-term slope mitigation works in Taman Bukit Permai had started and would take three to four months to be completed.

Ikram would be using the soil-nailing method to treat the slope, which involved drilling holes for steel bars to be inserted into the slope face as an immediate measure to stabilise the slope.

Slope failure led to the landslide on March 10 and another on March 12, forcing the evacuation of residents from Taman Mega Jaya and Taman Bukit Permai 2.

The landslide on March 10 claimed four lives in Taman Mega Jaya while a fifth victim suffered minor injuries.

Fifteen houses and 10 vehicles were also damaged in the incident.

The area was later declared a disaster zone, resulting in the evacuation of occupants of 48 houses in Jalan Teratai 1/2K, Jalan Teratai 1/2J and Jalan Mega 15.

On March 12, another landslide occurred at the same site and residents from a further 22 houses in Jalan Bukit Permai 1 were asked to evacuate.