Group: Poor enforcement to blame, too

22/11/2002 The Star

PETALING JAYA: The lack of political will and poor enforcement of existing hillside development guidelines are among the main causes of landslide occurrences, Worldwide Fund for Nature Malaysia founding trustee Datuk Kington Loo said.

He said the authorities were clear on the hillside development guidelines but poor planning and enforcement were some of the factors that contributed to Wednesday’s bungalow collapse.

“Adequate studies on the geological, safety and engineering aspects of the Bukit Antarabangsa area have been conducted time and time again, but what is lacking is the implementation of recommended safety guidelines,” he said.

Loo, who is also the organisation’s immediate past chairman, said local authorities had the power to reject housing or commercial projects which violated legislations and were deemed unsafe but the authorities “seemed to be persuaded” by developers to allow approvals for such projects.

He also said there was enough legislation to govern the development of these hillsides and maintain protected areas.

Loo added that soil studies had been made even before the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993 with experts warning that the area was unsuitable for structures and high-rise buildings.

He said during the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process for hillside projects, authorities must be responsible to maintain mitigation measures as recommended in the EIA report.

Loo said the EIA should also be made easily accessible to the public, adding that the Government should take the their comments into consideration before approving hillside projects.

He added that in some cases, developers were known to begin clearing hills for their projects even before they obtained approval.