@ green | November-December . 2024

Between 2006 and 2016 , the rise of the global sea level was 2.5 times faster

BY THE GREEN DUDE

A few hours of torrential rain were enough to send shockwaves to citizens , especially commuters driving to and from work , due to traffic disruptions and even the LRT services in Wangsa Maju .

Residents of Taman Melawati especially went into panic mode when the hill slope at Jalan E1 experienced a landslide which inundated their terrace houses with mudflows and flood waters . They all had to move out as a precaution to prevent further threats of landslides as more rain is expected in the next few days .

Children at a kindergarten in the corner house also panicked when the flood waters hit their kindergarten , forcing their parents to rush from work to fetch them home . Residents were still at the rehab centre the following day and not allowed to return home yet .

These torrential rains have now become a regular feature not just in Malaysia but all over the world . A clear sign that climate change is real !

The community activists in Melawati and neighbouring Bukit Antarabangsa were there to monitor the situation . They blamed poor management of the slopes and other infrastructures as well as the development of more houses , especially high-rise properties in the area close to the hill slopes .

Following investigations by the JKR , the Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said that a blocked drainage system in nearby Jalan G2 caused the landslide .

PROLONGED RAINFALL

This information reminded me of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide in 2008 , which caused 14 houses to be destroyed , and four lives lost . According to the final report , soil creep , caused by non-engineered fill on the slope , developed tension cracks over the area . ( Soil creep refers to the mass wasting process of soil on a hill under the influence of gravity ).

The soil creep over the years had damaged the active water pipe along the abandoned houses at the top of the slope and leaked the pipes . This led to continuous soil saturation at the lower slope , which in turn accelerated the creep .

Prolonged rainfall in Oct-Nov resulted in soil saturation and a rise in the groundwater table . This increased the rate of creep . This further damaged the drainage facilities and widened the existing cracks , opening new tension cracks .

The analysis also concluded that the causes include ineffective slope strengthening works related to monitoring and maintenance , which is followed by improper development plans that have a probability of failure . These causes correlate with human errors , which are often neglected during slope construction and need to be addressed to increase the safety of the slopes .

MAINTENANCE CULTURE

Thus , the study refers to the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide as a deepseated landslide and several studies have found that multiple causes potentially triggered the failure .

There were no signs of heavy rainfall immediately before the landslide . The potential triggers , therefore , can be related to drainage systems , sub-soil conditions , geology , groundwater table human errors and technical errors .

An exciting incident to note is that about a week or so before the tragedy , one of the residents of the houses along the row that was damaged had reported groundwater coming out behind the compound .

The local council could not determine the reason for this . But in hindsight , it was a warning sign that the water table had risen which then contributed to the landslide . Luckily , this house was spared from the damage caused by the landslide .

Meanwhile , the affected slope at Taman Melawati landslide was quickly covered with a large blue plastic sheet to prevent further erosion , and residents of 20 of the houses were moved to a multipurpose hall nearby .

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari clarified that the landslide was not caused by overdevelopment in the area . It took place on privately owned land , and no development work has been carried out at the site . However , there is an ongoing development project above the landslide zone , which

is still incomplete . It consists of individual bungalow lots .

The issue now is related to maintenance of the access roads and drainage system leading to the site , which had previously caused water overflow incidents which culminated in the landslide .

It is obvious that monitoring during the construction phase must be closely and strictly adhered to . A new maintenance culture must evolve from now on . This must start with the local councils and district offices monitoring every type of construction involving sensitive hill slope areas .

On a global level , unprecedented heavy thunderstorms that have occurred in the past two or three decades are just manifestations of the reality of climate change . The recent tropical storms that have hit Carolina and Florida are enough evidence that these changes will continue to impact the world in the months and years to come .

Climate-related disasters have tripled in the last 30 years . Between 2006 and 2016 , the rise of the global sea level was 2.5 times faster than it had been for almost the entire 20th century . More than 20 million people a year are forced from their homes by climate change , and this will continue to increase at an even faster rate . Adapting to climate change and coping with damages will cost developing countries US $ 140-300 billion per year by 2030 , according to the United Nations Environment Programme .

Our situation is relatively minor compared to that of the rest of the world . However , recent events in Malaysia could have been prevented . Among the measures are the more sustainable development of real estate in already dense areas in urban centres throughout the country , as well as coastal development in places like Johor Baru and Penang .

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Massive infrastructure developments like transportation and railway systems are examples of their impact on the environment .

In Penang , five artificial islands and land reclamation projects are being planned and ongoing . The reclaimed islands to the north and east began in 2016 , while the three southern islands project is still not finalised .

To the north of the Gurney Drive reclamation project currently under construction are two artificial islands known as the Sri Tanjung Phase 2 project , an area of 3.79 square kilometres .

The Penang South Island Project ( PSI ) is located across the southern coastline between the headlands of Tanjung Teluk Tempoyak ( east ) and Tanjung Gertak Sanggul ( west ).

Also known as the three islands project , it will be a mix of residential , commercial and industrial usage . This includes one known as Silicon Island , which will be a centre of the semiconductor industry .

Various reports have emerged on the concerns of the environmental impact of these two projects .

These include siltation and sedimentation along Gurney Drive , siltation effects at City Marina and the possibility of Penang Port . Wave pattern studies and modelling conducted by vested interest parties have been dubious regarding sedimentation and siltation , as well as the loss of fisheries resources and earnings to fishermen .

Siltation to the South Island site itself caused runoff from drains to be trapped and stagnated , and the lack of monitoring by any independent body is a high cause for concern , as only in-house monitoring and in-house data were available .

Besides the Consumer Association of Penang and Aliran , The Penang Forum is one of the NGOs concerned about these projects .

In conclusion , environmental NGOs and community groups will continue raising these issues until more favourable results are achieved for the sake of our future generations . – @ green

THE GREEN DUDE continues to raise issues on climate change as one who lives in an otherwise idyllic hilly area constantly threatened by plans of prominent real estate development companies anxious to exploit this highly demanded property area . His community is also closely monitoring the role of the local councils in the approval process .