AN ongoing Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) project to build a retaining wall on Bukit Dinding is raising fears among Wangsa Maju and Setiawangsa residents.
Residents said the project should not be carried out during the rainy season as this could affect slope stability and result in a landslide.
Photos shared by Friends of Bukit Dinding (FoBD), a non-profit organisation advocating for the hill’s preservation, showed the proximity of the project to Puncak Setiawangsa.
The residential area in Kuala Lumpur is located between Wangsa Maju and Setiawangsa.
FoBD vice-president Inci Anggie Narina Syafruddin said residents noticed earthworks early last year and had asked for a meeting with DBKL.
“We were concerned as there were no notice boards or engagement sessions before the project started,” she told StarMetro.
“During the meeting, held in April 2023, we were told this was because it is a small-scale project, which is below (20.2ha) hence the lack of notice.”
She said residents had learned that the project was to build a retaining wall and no completion date had been given.
Unsatisfied with the explanation, Inci Anggie said FoBD held an internal discussion with its lawyers over the matter.
She said they concluded the project still required an environmental impact assessment (EIA) from the Environment Department (DOE).
“We sent an enquiry to DOE, which confirmed that it had not received any EIA application for the project.
“We then sent another letter to DBKL, asking for further clarification but there has been no response,” she said.
She added that earthworks at the site continued.
The morning downpour on Oct 15, which resulted in flooding and a landslide in Taman Melawati, Selangor, saw soil and sediment sliding down the Bukit Dinding slope and affecting a few terrace houses in Sections 5 and 6, Wangsa Maju.
In a video posted on his TikTok account, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad visited the affected houses while clean-up work was taking place at the site.
He said projects on Bukit Dinding would be reviewed.
DBKL has yet to respond to StarMetro’s request for comments at press time.
