KUALA LUMPUR, July 14:
A geo-technical expert has allayed the fears of Taman Tan Yew Lai residents over the safety of an ongoing housing project on a nearby hill slope.

The residents of the housing estate off Jalan Puchong, had earlier claimed that developers were building three-storey, semi-detached villas on soft soil which they felt was unsuitable for construction.

They fear there was a high risk that the houses would collapse, in the event of a heavy downpour.

Geo-technical engineer Dr S. S. Gue has however, assured them that the soil at the steep hillside of 45 degrees was safe to build.

He said it was unlikely the slope comprised soft soil, adding that such soil was found on marine deposits and muddy areas.

"By nature, slopes cannot be of soft soil," he said, after his advice was sought on the safety of the hill slope.

A resident said the developers were already laying sewage pipes under the earth, and metal beams to prevent the collapse of the hill.

Lots have also been set up to mark the sites of individual potential house owners. It was reported on April 5, that a housing project on a steep hill in Taman Tan Yew Lai was causing jitters among its residents.

The residents had claimed that over several weeks, trees were felled in large numbers behind a row of houses in Jalan 10A of the housing estate.

Interestingly, the project - to build three-storey, semi-detached villas - was themed `Within Nature's Embrace'.

The area is now a barren land with just a few trees remaining on the higher end of the hill! No plastic sheets or silt traps were placed there to prevent erosion.

Meanwhile, Gue dismissed the notion that the hill slope could measure 45 degrees. He said that often, in the field of geo-technics, eyes could mislead slope measurement.

He advised the residents to hold a dialogue with the project’s engineers. "The residents should request for a survey on the cut slope which will reveal the measurement and designs," he added.