SANDAKAN: Residents staying at the edge of the hill slope at Taman Indah Jaya at North Road, Sandakan are becoming jittery in fear of their safety every time during heavy rainy spells.
The incidences of landslides has been plaguing the residents staying there especially now during this rainy season.
Some houses, particularly houses no. 675 and 676, situated adjacent to the edge of the slope have seen mud flowing into the perimeter of their properties. With continuous heavy rain, these houses would be inundated with mud flows into their houses from the slope, which is about 1 km long and rising to between 50 to 70 metres high.
“We are worried and jittery about a possible large scale landslide that we dare not sleep whenever it rains heavily. We are worried about our lives and the safety of our property,” said Chan Kok Choi, resident of house no. 675, speaking on behalf of the other affected residents.
A number of the residents said that the root of the problem could be traced back to improper cutting of the slope back when Taman Indah Jaya was being developed, thereby causing soil erosion and landslides. The residents have complained to the relevant authorities to urge them to take immediate remedial action, including the MPs and assemblymen from Barisan Nasional, but to no avail. Now, they are resorting to bring their grouses to Stephen Wong Tien Fatt, the DAP’s MP for Sandakan.
The landslide problem have persisted since a few years back, with the last serious incident occurring on January 29, 2011, when many houses (including one used as a kindergarten) were damaged from landslides and mud flow brought on by heavy torrential rain. It was fortunate that there was no casualty at that time.
“Now, we are not that sure if we can be just as fortunate, because the slope has slid nearer and nearer to the perimeters of the houses,” said Wong.
Wong pointed out that the residents have complained to him about this problem even before he was elected as MP. He has since learned that the Public Works Department (PWD), since a couple of years back, had already proposed to the government to carry out a detailed geotechnical study and mitigation measures.
Last year in Parliament, Wong had personally asked the Federal Minister for Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government about the government’s follow-up action to remedy the situation, as Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak had promised to look into this matter during his visit to Sandakan before the last general election. The response given to him was that the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) has applied for an allocation of RM1.5 million from the Sabah state government to appoint consultants to prepare a technical report to resolve the problem.
As a follow-up to the government’s response, Wong wrote to various authorities, including SMC and PWD to inquire about the status of the allocation and to press them into action.
Wong has since learned that PWD had also applied to the State Ministry of Finance to carry out remedial works on a “Design-and-Build” basis, estimated to cost around RM40 million. However, until today, no concrete action has been taken.
“I have proposed that instead of just waiting for the RM1.5 million allocation for the technical studies, the government should take emergency action to temporarily address the imminent danger from the situation, because the lives and properties of the residents are at risk here. By the time the allocation for the technical studies arrives – which would only be confined to carrying out the studies and not the remedial works – it might already be too late for many residents,” Wong lamented.
Therefore in the interim, Wong suggested that the government should at least undertake emergency measures to excavate and remove the earth which has since covered up the drains between the slope and the houses, so that rain water could flow freely without any obstruction.
“I had suggested for this to be carried out immediately, back in September 2013, way before the rainy season started. It is now January 2014 and there is still no action being taken. This is the least the government could do, pending a long term, permanent solution to be implemented,” said Wong.
According to SMC, in November 2013, they received an allocation from the State government to carry out mud cleaning work at the drains, and that the cleaning work had been carried out ‘recently’. However, Wong said he has received different feedback from the ground. The residents maintained that the drains are still blocked and the mud flows are getting worse.
Hence, Wong is very critical of the government’s attitude in not taking this matter seriously.
“It’s been 3 years since the last major incident occurred in January 2011, and yet there is not even an allocation for a technical study to be carried out, let alone remedial action. I hope the State government understands that with the rise in the cost of living in general and construction costs, in particular, in recent years across the state, any property damage – let alone physical casualties – would cause immense hardship to the residents. For most people, their houses are their biggest investment and most substantial property. A “People First, Performance Now” government should not be dragging its feet like that,” Wong said.
Wong hopes the authorities will take immediate actions to at least implement the emergency measures, so that the residents could have a peace of mind at least during the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.