NICHOLAS CHENG, M. KUMAR, JUSTIN ZACK, and FATIMAH ZAINAL The Star 27 Nov 16;
HULU SELANGOR: The sleepy hollow of Taman Idaman, Serendah, erupted into big news in the morning when a major landslide took place and by evening everything had come to a standstill.
Parts of the neighbourhood, including a section of a road, two food stalls and nine vehicles were “swallowed” by a landslide which also left a huge crater.
A motorcyclist travelling back home miraculously escaped with his life, sustaining only minor injuries during the 1am incident on Saturday.
A 1.2ha site has been affected as tons of soil were swept away, putting 340 residents within 600m of the landslide at risk.
There was also a disruption to water and electricity supply in the immediate surrounding area, located about 8km northeast of Rawang town.
Hulu Selangor OCPD Supt R. Supramaniam said thankfully there were no fatalities.
According to the Public Works department (JKR), there is still soil movement and the flow of underground water is increasing.
All residents in the affected “Red Zone” had been ordered to be relocated to the nearby Sekolah Rendah Agama Serendah.
Supt Supramaniam said policemen would be stationed around the evacuated houses to prevent looting.
Selangor exco member (Chairman of Infrastructure, Public Amenities and Agro-Based industry) Zaidy Abdul Talib visited the disaster hit area and assured that the state government would look into the welfare of the residents.
“We have also instructed the JKR to work quickly to stop the underground water flow and take measures to stop the soil movement,” he said.
The assessment of the soil stability in the area is expected to take around two to three days.
Hulu Selangor MP and Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan also visited the area and said steps would be taken to make sure there would be no repeat incident.
“We will also ensure the residents are looked after and kept safe.”
Police cordon off 600m around landslide-hit area
The Star 27 Nov 16;
HULU SELANGOR: Police have cordoned off a 600m area around the landslide called “The Red Zone”.
District OCPD and operations commander Supt R. Supramaniam said that while all homes were evacuated, 22 families had yet to register with the authorities.
“Perhaps they went off to stay with their families for the time being. But I urge them to come forward and register,” he said.
Supt Supramaniam said the landslide was caused by movement of water under the soil.
He added that there was increased water volume before the incident.
He said remedial works by the Public Works Department (JKR) would take between seven and 10 days.
JKR personnel placed plastic sheets on the crater’s edge to prevent further erosion as it was still raining yesterday afternoon.
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) said a water main burst as a result of the landslide.
The areas in Hulu Selangor facing supply disruption include Desa Melor, Desa Anggerik, Taman Idaman, Kampung Orang Asli Serendah and Pusat Serenti Serendah.
Water tankers and static water tanks have been sent to the areas to supply water until the problem is fixed.
When contacted, JKR told The Star that landslides were always hard to predict because there was usually no clear indication before these occurred.
Seven landslides took place so far this month but JKR issued no early warnings despite heavy rains forecast until Thursday.
Despite the difficulty, JKR slope engineering branch director Ir Dr Che Hassandi Abdullah said they were doing all they could to look for tell-tale signs of an impending landslide.
“It’s challenging but sometimes a landslide can be predicted by the cracks on slopes or road surfaces,” he said.
