October and November turning into ‘disaster season’

GEORGE TOWN: October and November are turning out to be a “disaster season” for Penang, no thanks to the inter-monsoon period.

The landslide at the highway under construction in Paya Terubong happened just two days shy of the first anniversary of the Tanjung Bungah landslide.

Last Oct 21, a landslide in a construction site in Tanjung Bungah killed 11 workers including one Malaysian — site supervisor Yuan Kuok Wern.

That tragedy was declared a work site accident and a state commission of inquiry was set up to look into it. The commission’s report is still being prepared.

Last Nov 4 and 5, the inter-monsoon period hit Penang with a tempest that flooded large parts of the state for days.

On Nov 7, 2016, a major landslide cut off access to the main Jalan Balik Pulau-Jalan Teluk Bahang arterial road known as Jalan Ujung Batu near the Tropical Spice Garden after five hours of rain.

Meanwhile, Penang Forum members Dr Kam Suan Pheng, Dr Lim Mah Hui and Meenakshi Raman went to the highway construction site in Paya Terubong yesterday but were not allowed to enter.

Meenakshi, who is also Tanjung Bungah Residents Association chairman, said it was tragic that this landslide should happen so close to the first anniversary of the Tanjung Bungah landslide.

“The commission of inquiry has not even finished their report yet and another one has happened,” Meenakshi asked.