‘Keep an eye on old slopes’

Landowners and those living near a slope have been urged to be more alert to signs indicating possible landslides. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

LOCAL authorities and landowners should pay more attention to older hillslopes as they are more susceptible to landslides.

SlopeWatch programme director Eriko Motoyama has noticed that landslides tend to occur more often at older slopes where projects took place 30 to 40 years ago.

“It is a matter of wear and tear. Landslides or landslips seem to take place on slopes in areas that are a few decades old in Klang Valley,” she told StarMetro.

“Slopes especially those in older neighbourhoods need frequent checks and maintenance,” she said.

She was commenting on the landslide on Dec 9 that affected three properties, of which one was unoccupied, at Jalan Halaman 6, Taman Halaman in Ampang, Selangor.

The fairly old neighbourhood in Ampang was established in the 1970s and 1980s when plots of land were sold to private owners.

Following the landslide, affected residents were evacuated. Lembah Jaya assemblyman Haniza Talha said earlier that residents would be allowed to return once slope rectification works were completed.

Ampang Jaya Municipal councillor Mohamad Samat had earlier said it was likely that homeowners would have to foot the bill for slope repair works because their land was privately owned.

He said state agencies were not liable nor required to take action in such cases.

“There is a need for slope safety awareness among private land owners living near a hill,” said Motoyama.

“They will have to carry out due diligence in maintaining the slope.”

She said there was also the issue of untenanted residences where there was no one to monitor the slope.

“When there are residents in the house, they will surely notice fallen soil or rocks which can be an indication of landslides.

“They can then take the necessary measures to strengthen the slope,” she highlighted.

Yesterday, there were several officers from the Hulu Langat District Land Office monitoring the area by relying on drone technology to gauge the extent of the landslide.