UNDERGROUND mapping of a 300m stretch of Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur will be carried out to determine its safety, following two sinkhole incidents since last year.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, said the mapping would be conducted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Ikram.
“This is to determine where the utility infrastructures, including sewage and water pipes, are located and identify areas where the possibility of sinkholes could happen again,” she said after a site visit to Jalan Masjid India on Sunday (Nov 30).
She added that the study would take one month to complete, including proposed upgrades.
Dr Zaliha also said the public report of the Masjid India sinkhole last year would be published by the end of the year.
“The public report is ready, but we need to make sure the content is publicly consumable,” she said.
The most recent sinkhole in the area occurred on nearby Jalan Bonus on Nov 10, prompting the temporary closure of Jalan Masjid India.
This occurred just over two weeks after authorities revealed the true cause of last year’s Masjid India sinkhole.
On Oct 24, Dr Zaliha 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, exacerbated by soil instability.
She added that the task force had presented its full findings to the Cabinet in August, while DBKL was preparing a public report to be released by the end of the year.
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.
