Posted on 19 February 2013 - 09:57pm
PETALING JAYA (Feb 19, 2013): A stretch of road collapsed in a landslide here Monday night after heavy rain caused a retaining wall to give way.
The wall fell onto the riverbank, causing the road to collapse at around 8pm, before the soil further eroded through the night. This caused the entire road section to collapse just metres from some shoplots in Dataran Ara Damansara.
Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Alinah Ahmad said today immediate rectifications were being made to prevent further soil erosion and danger to businesses and people in the area.
"We are trying to rectify the whole thing. We are putting on plastic sheets and diverting discharged water to the river.
"After that, we will put in sheet piles to stop further erosion," she told theSun during a site visit today.
MBPJ councillor Khairul Anuar Zainuddin, who is in charge of Ara Damansara, said the department would immediately issue notices to tenants and owners of nearby shoplots, informing them of the action taken.
"However, this area has not been handed over to the council yet, so it is still under the developer, Dataran Ara Damansara Sdn Bhd.
"The council will take immediate measures first and then ensure the developer fixes the problem," he told theSun today.
Khairul said the issue most likely arose from heavy rains, but it could also be due to lack of maintenance or slipshod work during initial construction.
"One of the main issues in Ara Damansara is that some developments have yet to be handed over by the developers to the local council, which results in confusion among residents and businesses," he said.
Mohd Kamil Othman, owner of the corner shoplot closest to the landslide, said he alerted the police and fire department the night the road gave way.
"Throughout the night, there's obviously further erosion of the soil. I'm not the only one worried, everyone is," said Mohd Kamil, whose shoplot is located three metres from the landslide site.
Kamil said soil movement first became apparent at 6pm on Monday, and then subsequently further eroded every half hour.
"A car was parked along the stretch, and had to be pushed out when the road caved in slightly. And then after two hours, the whole thing gave way," he said.
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