BY THE GREEN DUDE

Organised by local NGO SlopeWatch , it was attended by the Member of Parliament for Ampang , Rodziah Ismail and the newlyelected State Assemblymen of Bukit Antarabangsa , Kamri Kamaruddin and Lembah Jaya , Syed Ahmed Alhadad ( popularly known as Altimet ) and the recently appointed President of MPAJ , Dr Ani Ahmad . They were to answer residents ’ questions on the issues relating to slope management .

MPAJ ’ s slope maintenance programme was presented by Ir Zafrul Fazry , the Director of its Engineering Department , with facts and figures to illustrate the challenge of balancing nature and human lives .

The other briefing was by Datuk Mohd Taufik Haron , the CEO of Kumpulan Ikram , on identifying slopes that need maintenance .

Slope engineers use Factor of Safety ( FOS ) to measure slope stability . It balances forces that want to push the soil down ( toppling ) and the forces that keep it in place ( resistance ).

An FOS of 1.0 means the slope is unstable , while an FOS higher than 1.0 is better . Generally , slopes in the Hulu Kelang area are relatively well studied with the availability of lots of data . It gives engineers a reasonably good assessment of which slopes need priority maintenance . MPAJ also uses Public Works Department ( JKR ) maps to identify priority areas .

MAINTENANCE OF DRAINAGE SYSTEM

In a PowerPoint presentation , Taufik showed examples of broken drainage systems which can contribute to slope failure . Water is the main contributor to landslides in Malaysia . MPAJ ’ s priority is to reduce the risk of water infiltration into the slope .

Slope clearing of trees and vegetation cannot be left too long without replanting grass and shrubs . At this point , the residents of Bukit Antarabangsa were complaining about cutting down trees and leaving the slope bare , which can lead to rills , water channels and gullies , leading to further erosion and failure .

The rationale behind these clearing activities , which will cost MPAJ some RM5 million , is to prevent these trees on the slopes from falling during massive thunderstorms , which have been a frequent occurrence the last few

years – partly due to climate change . We have been assured that these slopes will be replanted with the appropriate vegetation within the next month .

Many questions were raised on the standard operation procedure ( SOP ) by the MPAJ . One key issue was the lack of clarity on steps that involved slope management and clearance of trees planted beside the road , which was part of the Urban Farming concept . ( The Green Dude highlighted this in the last issue ). Dr Ani Ahmad said this issue would be addressed to ensure residents are aware of any plans and actions to take .

During the session , it was clear that the Bukit Antarabangsa and Ampang residents comprised experienced individuals who are subject matter experts on the environment , agriculture and engineering and that their comments were valid .

Coincidentally , a week or so after that , we read a news report in the NST that residents of Bukit Antarabangsa were feeling uneasy about a proposed 37-storey high-rise apartment project in Taman Kelab Ukay . They feared potential disasters in this landslide-prone area . They claimed that the MPAJ had yet to disclose whether a Social Impact Assessment ( SIA ) or Traffic Impact Assessment ( TIA ) had been done for the project .

It is understood that MPAJ had issued a blanket approval to the developer , Lembah Langat Development Bhd , on Dec 23 , 2019 , to develop three projects in four phases . The project includes one one-block 29-storey apartment building with 336 units with an 8-storey parking and a one-block 37-storey apartment building with 274 units .

The NST report sighted a letter from the MPAJ Urban Planning Department Director Zuraina Said that the approval is subject to conditions including submitting treatment methods for civil and geotechnical structures , an environmental management plan report and complying with rules set by technical departments , such as PLANMalaysia @ Selangor and the Mineral and Geoscience Department .

HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENTS MUST BE STOPPED

While this seems to be the conditions being stipulated , the implementation and adherence to these conditions remains a challenge , especially in an area prone to landslides and where there are only two main entrances to the whole Bukit Antarabangsa area , including only one access road to their property . The impact on the traffic volume is already critical during rush hour , and the TIA report would be a foregone

Slopes are left bare after trees are cut .

conclusion . A Ukay Club Villas Residents Association member said they are concerned about soil erosion and landslides even during the clearing and construction .

No matter the assurances developers give , the authorities must understand that hillside development should be stopped , and that was one of the campaign promises made by Ampang MP Rodziah . She had called for a moratorium on all hillslope development in Ampang , especially in Bukit Antarabangsa . She informed the session that she had brought these matters to Parliament .

A heated debate ensued within the community WhatsApp group , with the majority calling for more transparency and clarity by MPAJ and the state government .

Suddenly , on Aug 30 , newspaper reports revealed that the project ’ s planning permission given to the developer on Oct 14 , 2020 , had lapsed on Oct 30 , 2022 . Dr Ani informed the media that the planning permission was given after the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Technical Committee ( JTPKSAS ) had approved the project on Sept 24 , 2019 . She also confirmed that no dialogue sessions had occurred between the developer and affected residents before giving planning permission approval .

Herein lies the problem . It was claimed the developer had put up a notice of the proposed development at the site but received no objections . One wonders whether the information was so small and hidden between the trees as had happened before on other sites , such as the proposed 1,100 units of condominium at Riverdale Park last year .

This project ’ s planning permission was eventually not approved by the MPAJ one-stop centre committee after the MPAJ Councilor Rozmi Humaidi brought it up for Zone 5 .

Taman Kelab Ukay in Bukit Antarabangsa .

STAR PIX

DON ’ T TAKE RESIDENTS FOR GRANTED ANYMORE

Responding to queries from the media , a spokesperson from Lembah Langat Developers said the project was not due to start as the company had yet to submit the building plans . The authorities should ensure that residents are always informed of all future development projects in this highly sensitive area .

Following the report , the Ampang Jaya Deserves Better Founder Ariv Chelvam welcomed the decision by the local council . However , he wondered whether any reforms had been made to state development guidelines , including how similar developments are processed within MPAJ .

One thing is for sure – the residents in this community cannot be taken for granted any more . MPAJ needs to be more open and transparent to clean up its image , which has been tainted by accusations of corruption from many quarters .

A thorough reform of the Local Government Act should ensure greater transparency and accountability of local council presidents , mayors and staff to residents , as they are often seen as acting like ‘ Little Napoleons ’. This third tier of government directly affects everyone ’ s standard of living , and high standards of delivery of services is thus mandatory .

Residents today cannot tolerate failure and weaknesses . It also reflects poorly on the ruling government and its elected Parliament and State Assembly representatives . – @ ESG

The Green Dude , active in community issues at Bukit Antrabangsa , considers what is happening in many parts of the country as the result of local authorities and some of its heads and officers behaving like ‘ Little Napoleons ’. It is time for serious reforms and action to be taken before it worsens .