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.

PENGUMUMAN

Monday, September 27, 2010