Penang govt must assume responsibility for recurrence of landslides: Activist

GEORGE TOWN: The state government must assume responsibility for the recurrence of landslides in Penang, said a civil society activist here.

Penang Forum member D. Kanda Kumar said that most of the landslides occur at the hills slopes that become unstable due to rapid development.

The only way to stop this, is to ban hill slope development altogether.

"The rain is not heavy but just continuous. We can see that lately landslides happen whenever there is rain.

"Previously landslides seldom occur in the state, but now it has become a norm," he told theSun when contacted.

Kanda Kumar said that the landslides, albeit minor or major, were caused by unstable earth soil at the hilly areas where most of the development tends to take place.

He urged the state authority to stop the approval of hill slope development and to do a proper study on developments in hilly areas.

Continuous rain since last night has caused several places in the state to be inundated with water, causing a landslide at Batu Ferringhi.

The landslide has raised alarm bells among Penangites, as the last major landslide in Tanjung Bungah last year, resulted in the death of 11 eleven construction workers including a Malaysian site supervisor.

When contacted, Penang Island City Council (MBPP) councillor Syerleena Abdul Rashid said the Batu Ferringhi landslide was not a cause for concern now, as only some boulders in the area had come loose.

She said Public Works Department (PWD) personnel have been tasked to remove the boulders at Jalan Batu Ferringhi, just a few meters from the Double Tree Hilton Hotel.

"It is still raining and all the relevant departments are working hard to ensure safety for all road users," she said.

At the time of writing, theSun learnt that the clearing works were almost completed.