Many voice against development on hillslopes

GEORGE TOWN: A Penang Forum member has stressed that there should be no development on hillslopes.

“There should be no expansion and all developments must be ecology-sensitive and carried out according to the Special Area Plan,” Dr Lim Mah Hui said.

Dr Lim, said Penang Hill has a maximum carrying capacity of 10,000 passengers a day, adding that too many tourists “will destroy the place”.

“We should not boost tourism to the extent of killing the place,” he said.

The Penang Forum is a loose coalition of about 40 NGOs.

Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Centre of Tropical Geoengineering director Prof Dr Edy Tonnizam Mohamad said slope failure usually happens on a man-made slope.

“Man-made slopes are those that are cut for construction proposes,” he said.

“There can be development on the area where they cut the slope, but it has to be properly designed, maintained and monitored,” he added.

Dr Edy added that slope failure mainly occurs due to the lack of monitoring and poor support system to safeguard the slope.

“There are signs before a slope failure happens, it is not like an earthquake. There will be soil movement or creeping at the nearby areas,” he added.

Dr Edy said regular monthly or yearly maintenance should be done to ensure the stability of the slope and to observe land clearance at the surrounding areas.

“Slope failure can be minimised or eliminated when the contractors and developers observe any unusual movement or use special instruments to check the condition of the slope.

“Actually, we can observe it visually,” he said.

A retired engineer, who declined to be named, said the state government should build hotels or bungalows on Penang Hill only after it has studied the problems, which emerged in the past.

He said the state should also conduct a thorough study of the whole area, including the impact of rainfall on Penang Hill.

“Even without any development or new building, the hills are already exposed to risk of soil erosion.

“While this hill is untouched, the natural weather and rainfall have already affected the soil condition and this will cause problems in the area,” he said.

He added that the existing road leading up to Penang Hill was not suitable for heavy vehicles carrying construction materials.

“Initially, the road was meant for emergency access and minor maintenance work,” he said.