Close monitoring of slopes being carried out by MPAJ

Close monitoring of slopes being carried out by MPAJ

Monday September 27, 2010

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/9/27/central/7098667&sec=central

Close monitoring of slopes being carried out by MPAJ

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN
mekzhin@thestar.com.my
Photos by DARRAN TAN

THE rainy season is always a time for apprehension among those living in Ampang, an area known for landslides and flash floods.

"Since the middle of 2009, there has been no landslide in Ampang"- HASROLNIZAM SHAARI

However, according to Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) engineering department director Hasrolnizam Shaari, the situation has improved since the 2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy.
“Since the middle of 2009, there has been no landslide in Ampang. We have also identified 28 slopes that need close monitoring as it has the potential for the most damage should any incident occur,” he said, adding that they classified the slopes as high-risk but not critical.
He added that of the 28 slopes, 13 were privately owned, three by developers while the rest were government land.
Hasrolnizam said the high cost for any slope stabilising or strenghtening work prevented the council from doing it all at once. He said there was a lack of budget, adding that the reparation work at the 2008 tragedy site alone cost RM70mil.
“The slope reparation work being carried out in Bukit Permai has already incurred RM1mil in studies alone. Another RM2mil will only cover minimal repair work.” he said.

Marked out: One of the identified areas for slope monitoring in Ampang located near the 2008 landslide area in Bukit Antarabangsa.

Hasrolnizam said Ikram’s help was also frequently sought in slope-stabilising work.
“For non-government-owned land, we usually send a notice to the owner to maintain the land and sometimes advice them on the action to be taken to ensure the safety of everyone,” he said, adding that the cost for any work was borne by the owner.
Currently, two government-owned land that are in Bukit Permai and near the Wangsa Heights Condominium, Bukit Antarabangsa, are undergoing slope-stabilising work.

Making it better: Areas in Bukit Permai that are undergoing slope stabilising work.

MPAJ also set up its own slope unit early this year to monitor the slopes.
“Every month we will check on the high-risk slopes while it is six months for low-risk ones. We also have a daily schedule for inspections and the officers have a checklist of items to look out for,” Hasrolnizam said.
He added that there were only two officers who monitored the slopes as well as infrastructure like roads and drains in each state constituency of which there were five in Ampang.
“On our side, we try to do our best according to our capacity,” he said, adding that checks were made in slope areas the day after a downpour as well.

Safety measure: A file picture of a net and barrier set up to control the falling debris during construction work in Ampang.

Hasrolnizam said they hoped to improve their monitoring system by the end of the year with the purchase of equipment and computer software.
Large tree roots loosening the ground underneath structures and the lack of rigid stabilising techniques on slopes for older settled areas were the most common reasons for landslides.
Flash floods in Ampang are also fast becoming a thing of the past with the last most serious incident occurring in 2008 in Taman Kosas when Sungai Ampang overflowed.
Another recent incident also involved a downpour which caused a temporary water retention pond in a residential project along Jalan Wangsa 1, Bukit Antarabangsa, to overflow onto the roads.

“Flash floods if any, now subside within half an hour and do not affect a large area. This usually happens when there is a downpour for about two hours,” he said.
Previously, the areas facing flash floods are Cheras Indah, Taman Kencana, Pandan Indah, Pandan Perdana, Taman Nirwana, Taman Kosas and Ampang Campuran.
“The main problem in Ampang is mostly the older parts of town that do not have well developed drainage systems. To solve the flash flood woes, we have cleared drains, installed missing drain links and repaired broken ones,” he said.
In some areas, the drains have been upgraded to support greater water volume or even channel the water elsewhere.
According to Hasrolnizam, Taman Nirwana’s flood woes have been solved since 2007 while in Taman Kencana, discussions are still ongoing with the Public Works Department.
“Other ongoing projects include the one in Jalan Wangsa 1 in Bukit Antarabangsa, Cheras Indah and Pandan Indah. In the other areas, the problem is not too critical,” he said.
He added that their priorities were upgrading drains in flash flood areas followed by drain maintenance and restructuring.
“Every year we have a budget of RM2mil and 40% is used to repair drains. The rest is used up for other maintenance work. We have to rely on state or federal government allocation for any upgrading projects,” Hasrolnizam said.
He said residents’ vigilance and informing the council about problems in their respective areas was important when it came to maintaining both slopes and drains.
“We cannot guarantee there will never be another landslide or flood in Ampang. However, we assure people that we are trying our best to live up to the motto ‘know about it first before the residents complain’,” he added.

MPAJ to concentrate on improving its services over the next five years

MPAJ to concentrate on improving its services over the next five years

Tuesday September 14, 2010

Jalan Wangsa 1 covered with mud after pond overflows

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN
mekzhin@thestar.com.my
Photo courtesy of MPAJ Zone 5 Residents’ Committee

THE heavy downpour early yesterday morning caused the temporary water retention pond of a foothill residential project along Jalan Wangsa 1 to overflow and covered the road with mud and debris.
The road is the main access road to Bukit Antarabangsa.
Zakaria Mat, 54, a businessman who lives in Taman Bukit Jaya, Bukit Antarabangsa, said this was the first time such an incident had occurred and he was shocked to see it.

 Dirty and dangerous: A torrent of muddy waters filled with debris gushed down Jalan Wangsa 1 after a heavy downpour.

“I was filling my car with fuel at a nearby petrol station when I saw the mud flow. I took a video and photo of the incident at about 9am before calling the police to request for some help in traffic control,” he said.
He hopes the authorities can monitor closely developments in the area, especially problem-prone sites.
Muddy water flowed down Jalan Wangsa 1 and onto the Middle Ring Road II (MRR2) from about 8am for an hour, according to the estimation of Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) Engineering Department director Hasrolnizam Shaari.
“I was informed of the incident at about 8.30am and when I arrived at the scene an hour later, the situation had eased enough for vehicles to continue using the road to enter Bukit Antarabangsa,” he said.
Motorists were able to use Jalan Wangsa 1 to exit despite the situation.
He said information from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) showed rainfall over the past two days was almost double the normal.
“Every construction site has to build a temporary water retention pond of certain specifications. The pond for this residential project overflowed due to the unexpected high volume of rainwater,” Hasrolnizam said.
He said the water had caused minor erosions at the development site which resulted in the muddy water.
“The developer was told to halt all works until they clean off the mud from the roads and carry out remedial works at the site of the minor erosions. There is no danger of the slope slipping,” he assured.
He added that the situation could have been worse if it was not for the grass planted at the site more than a week ago.
Hasrolnizam along with the council’s Youth and Community department director Dr Sarodin Shahri, who was also at the scene, said yesterday’s evening downpour uprooted three trees and broke the branches of about eight trees in the area.
“The incident happened at about 7pm on Sunday and MPAJ officers managed to clear everything by 11pm,” he said.

LIMPAHAN AIR HUJAN DARI TAPAK CORAL VIEW JLN WANGSA 1.

Ahli Majlis Zon 5 telah melapurkan terdapat limpahan air dari tapak pembinaan Coral View pada 13/9/2010 (pagi) akibat hujan lebat yang sedang turun tanpa henti.

Akibat limpahan air ini, Jalan Wangsa 1 menuju ke Bukit Antarabangsa terpaksa ditutup sementara waktu utk tujuan pembersihan.

Gambar oleh AJK Keselamatan JKP Zon 5, Sdr Zakaria.
Diberitakan punca limpahan akibat daripada kolam perangkap lumpur dalam kawasan pembinaan. Tuan Hasrol MPAJ telah mengarahkan pembersihan dibuat oleh pemaju tapak tersebut.

Sementara itu Drs Sarodin juga mengarahkan AFSB membuat tindakan yang perlu.

Hingga berita ini ditulis, kerja2 ini sedang giat dijalankan.

Pokok Tumbang di Riverdale, Bukit Antarabangsa.

Diberitakan hujan lebat dan ribut petir telah berlaku di Zon 5 Bukit Antarabangsa pada 12/09/2010. Menurut lapuran dari AJK Keselamatan JKP Zon 5, Sdr Zakaria serta Sdr Khalid Nordin, terdapat beberapa batang pokok telah tumbang di Riverdale Apartment dan telah menghalang lalulintas. Kejadian berlaku pada sebelah petang.

Tindakan pantas JKP Zon 5 yang berada dilokasi telah membantu memanggil piahk MPAJ, JPA, Puspel dan Syabas. Kemungkinan paip bocor juga dikesan.

Kerja2 alihan batang2 pokok dijalankan bg memastikan kenderaan boleh keluar masuk oleh pihak MPAJ dan JPA.

Piahk Puspel dan Syabas terus menyiasat utk memastikan keadaan paip yang dikatakan bocor. Hingga maklumat ini ditulis, keadaan paip tersebut belum disahkan.

Pihak JKP Zon 5 mengucapkan terimakasih kepada MPAJ, JPA, Puspel, Syabas serta pengawai MPAJ iaitu Tuan Hsrol dan Drs Sarodin kerana membantu Ahli Majlis dan Jkp serta penduduk Bukit Antarabangsa.

Siasatan susulan akan terus dipantau oleh pihak terbabit.

KELUHAN PENDUDUK KONDO IMPIAN SELATAN.

Pihak JKP Zon 5 telah menerima permohonan secara lisan dari AJK Penduduk Impian Selatan Sdr Yusof (yg dikenali panggilan Abang Yusuf) dan Sdr Ahmad Daniel pada minggu lepas mengenai beberapa perkara.

Perkara ini telah dibawah ketengah oleh Ahli Majlis MPAJ Tuan Kamri kepada Jabatan terbabit :-

1. Mohon pihak MPAJ membantu membuatturapan jalan dan kawasan rosak akibat diguna pakai oleh pihak penyelamat spt Bomba, Polis, Tentera, MPAJ, Bulan Sabit dan sebagainya sebagai laluan alternatif sewaktu tanah runtuh pada Disember 2008 yang lalu.

2. Memohon pihak MPAJ membuat cantasan pokok2 diluar kawasan Impian Selatan dimana terdapat dahan telah mencecah balkoni kondo mereka dimana terdapat beberapa kes ular dari pokok2 tersebut telah masuk dalam kondo mereka.

ID Aduan anda 48529.Gunakan nombor ini pada masa akan datang bagi mengenalpasti status aduan anda.

3. Memohon lampu jalan dipasang di simpang jalan masuk ke Impian Selatan.

ID Aduan anda 48530. Gunakan nombor ini pada masa akan datang bagi mengenalpasti status aduan anda.


Perkara 2 dan 3 akan dilaksanakan dalam masa terdekat oleh pihak MPAJ dan kerjasama TNB bagi perkara 3.

Perkara 2 dan 3 akan pihak JKP lapur secara rasmi melalui surat kepada MPAJ dala masa terdekat untuk rekod JKP.

ADUAN LAMPU JALAN WANGSA 1 (HADAPAN GIANT BA)

JKP Zon 5 telah menerima aduan tentang kerosakkan lampu jalan awam di hadapan Giant Bukit Antarabangsa. Pihak JKP telah memaklumkan kepada pihak MPAJ malam tadi dan jawapan positif telah diterima dimana Jabatan Kejuruteraan MPAJ akan membuat lawatan untuk menyiasat dan mengenal pasti, mencari punca serta mambaiki.

JKP akan terus memantau segala aduan penduduk dengan sebaik mungkin. JKP juga telah memaklumkan kepada Ahli Majlis Tuan Kamri mengenai perkara ini,

YB AZMIN ALI ADUN BUKIT ANTARABANGSA SOLAT ISYAK DAN TARAWIH DI SURAU ADDINIAH.

YB Azmin Ali Adun Bukit Antarabangsa telah meluangkan masa beliau yang padat sepanjang bulan Ramadhan untuk bersama kariah bersolat Isyak dan menunaikan 8 rakaat solat Tarawih pada 1hb Sept 2010. Kariah yang hadir juga ramai.

Kedatangan YB telah disambut oleh pengerusi surau Haji Saidin dan barisan AJK surau serta AJK JKP Zon 5 Bukit Antarabangsa Tuan Haji Farid Faiz. Pada waktu yang sama, Ketua Polis Negara yang baru dilantik (berkuatkuasa 13sept2010) Ybhg Tan Sri Ismail Omar juga bersama dalam majlis ini. Dalam majlis ini, pihak Surau telah mengucapkan terima kasih diatas keperihatinan YB kerana memberi sumbangan kepada Surau. Pihak Surau memaklumkan inilah jumlah tertinggi yang pernah diterima dari YB selaku ADUN Bukit Antarabangsa dimana pihak Kerajaan Negeri telah memperuntukkannya,

Majlis selesai agak awal kerana solat tarawih dijalankan hanya 8 rakaat dan sesi beramah mesra dijalankan secara ringkas.

Ahli Majlis MPAJ Tuan Kamri tidak dapat hadir bersama kerana beliau telah diluar kawasan ketika majlis ini.