Puchong landslide victims lose their cool

PUCHONG: Tempers flared as residents of Taman Wawasan, where a landslide damaged four cars and forced the evacuation of nine houses, confronted Kinrara state assemblyman Ng Sze Han over compensation and the lack of a clear timeline on repair work.

The residents want government agencies to provide financial aid and also want work to be expedited before the school session begins on Jan 2.

They also want the authorities to help remove cars still parked in their porches as they are now forced to borrow vehicles from friends and family members.

One resident said he had already lost two cars, and does not want to lose another two if anything were to happen.

Ng said the government’s priority is to ensure the houses are safe and to repair the access road so that residents can move back in.

He said that after the mitigation work is completed, the Subang Jaya City Council’s (MBSJ) building department will assess whether the structures are safe.

“We will discuss with the Fire and Rescue Department, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and MBSJ to see how we can move the cars from the houses.” he added.

State infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim, who was present, said initial reports suggest that the landslide incident may have been caused by cracks in a monsoon drain.

He said the cracks had resulted in water flowing towards the slope, leading to its saturation and subsequent collapse.

“The monsoon drain built by the developer along the slope caused water to flow downwards when cracks occurred,” he said, adding that the cracks could have been caused by the roots of large trees nearby.

In the meantime, Izham mentioned that they, through the MBSJ, will appoint a consultant to investigate and study the matter.

Izham said monsoon drains would be built there to prevent further flood incidents.

On Dec 16, a landslide in Jalan Wawasan 3/9, Pusat Bandar Puchong, damaged four cars and led to the evacuation of 29 residents from nine houses.