JUST over two weeks after authorities revealed the true cause of last year’s Masjid India sinkhole, another ground settlement has struck the same neighbourhood, this time along Jalan Bonus, raising fresh questions about the stability of ageing underground infrastructure in the city centre.
In a statement, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said the latest sinkhole appeared in front of the Bombay Jewellery outlet on Monday (Nov 10) at about 8.39am.
Teams from DBKL, Air Selangor, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and the Dang Wangi district police were on site to carry out investigations.
For safety reasons, Jalan Masjid India has been temporarily closed to all vehicles, from Lorong Masjid India 4 (next to the mosque) up to the affected stretch.
DBKL stressed that public safety is its top priority. Monitoring and technical assessments are ongoing, and further updates will be issued in due course.
On Oct 24, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa told the Dewan Rakyat that investigations by a special task force revealed that the collapse was caused by the failure of a corroded sewer pipe structure, worsened by soil instability, and not the presence of limestone, as initially feared.
Dr Zaliha said the site sits on the Kenny Hills Formation underlain by schist rock, while limestone lies much deeper, between 60m and 70m below ground level. She explained that the incident cannot be directly attributed to limestone
She added that the task force had presented its full findings to the Cabinet in August, while DBKL is preparing a public report to be released by the end of the year.
In response to increasing public concern, DBKL has begun geotechnical studies along key routes in the Golden Triangle to determine soil profiles and stability.
The studies use borehole resistivity, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and InSAR technology. Early findings show no locations currently classified as high-risk.
Indian tourist G. Vijayalakshmi, 48, went missing after she fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole that suddenly opened beneath her feet on the morning of Aug 23 last year.
Dr Zaliha said the full investigation report had been presented to the Cabinet on Aug 20, while a special public report will be released by DBKL by the end of this year.
