KUALA LUMPUR – Sebilangan peniaga di Jalan Masjid India di sini menyifatkan insiden ­tanah jerlus kira-kira tiga ­minggu lalu yang mendapat liputan meluas secara tidak langsung ­me­ningkatkan jumlah pengunjung ke kawasan berkenaan.

Peniaga tudung, Nora Mohamad Nor, 49, berkata, meskipun perniagaan tidak serancak sebelum ini, namun kehadiran pengunjung setakat ini sudah memuaskan hatinya.

Menurutnya, insiden tanah jerlus itu membuatkan pengunjung ingin melihat kawasan ber­kenaan dengan lebih dekat dan kebanyakan yang datang akan bertanyakan mengenai lokasi kejadian tersebut.

“Sambil mereka tanya tentang lokasi tanah jerlus itu, adalah juga yang melihat barangan yang kami jual ini, nak kata kurang pembeli ia sudah jadi sejak lepas penularan Covid-19 lagi.

“Kita peniaga yakin pada rezeki, saya tidak salahkan tragedi yang berlaku namun sebagai peniaga sendiri perlu cari kaedah merancakkan jualan yang dibuat,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini ­kelmarin.

Mengulas mengenai ke­selamatan, Nora memaklumkan, pihaknya berpuas hati dengan kenyataan dibuat kerajaan tempatan yang menekankan ­kawasan tersebut selamat dikunjungi.

“Saya berniaga di sini sejak 1998, kejadian tanah mendap ada berlaku sebelum ini tapi yang jadi kali ini melibatkan nyawa orang.

“Ini semua adalah ketentuan, isu tanah jerlus atau tanah runtuh ada di mana-mana, saya percaya selagi tidak diarah tutup perniagaan, kawasan ini memang selamat dikunjungi,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, pekerja kedai pakaian, Shahbudin Azhar, 43, berkata, jumlah pengunjung mula bertambah susulan penamatan operasi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) wanita warga India pada 31 Ogos lalu.

Katanya, keselamatan kawasan sekitar juga terjamin apabila pihak berkuasa tempatan dilihat memeriksa di setiap kawasan pejalan kaki itu.

“Kami peniaga tidak risau kerana yakin aktiviti di kawasan ini selamat untuk beroperasi malah id juga sudah disahkan oleh Datuk Bandar (Dato Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif),” ujarnya.

Pada 23 Ogos lalu, wanita dikenali sebagai G Vijaya Lakshmi berasal dari Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India hilang selepas terjatuh ke lubang sedalam lapan meter di Jalan Masjid India.

KOTA KINABALU: The Ranau local authority has raised concerns over unregulated development on private land around the popular tourist area of Kundasang.

Ranau district officer Tinus Manggam said many landowners and residents carried out small-scale developments without notifying the district office or obtaining proper approval.

"The problem arises when these developments are built on slopes or near roads," he told the media at after presenting the final report on a study by the Sabah Mineral and Geoscience Department at Kampung Mohimboyon in Kundasang.

Tinus said some landowners built shops and restaurants close to or within road reserves which could lead to potential hazards.

Kundasang, about two hours' drive from the state capital, is experiencing a tourism boom, as evident from the traffic jams during weekends and public holidays.

"We have issued notices but conflicts often arise, with some appealing to local leaders for exemption."

Tinus said unplanned development also posed a problem for the district office, especially if there were landslides or accidents.

"In hilly areas around Kundasang, such incidents are likely to happen and managing them would become a challenge for us."

He added that Kampung Mohimboyon, which was at risk of landslides as highlighted by experts, would become the next tourist hotspot as it was also near Kundasang town.

Prior to the release of the report, Tinus said there were already signs of landscape instability in Ranau.

He said due to earth movements, the road was affected and several schools had to be abandoned.

On studies indicating that Kundasang was at risk, Tinus said it was essential for stakeholders to have mitigation measures to minimise economic loss and casualties.

Present were Sabah Mineral and Geoscience director Dr Frederick Francis Tating and Sabah Environmental Protection director Vitalis Moduying.

Vitalis said it was important to incorporate the findings into local development plans to guide future landowners and developers.

"If we know a sensitive area is prone to landslides, developers should be aware of it before they begin construction.

"This could prevent overdevelopment and ensure that we manage these areas effectively," he said, urging them to look into camping activities to prevent a similar incident in Batang Kali that killed 31 people.

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will install early warning systems for natural disasters such as landslides, which can cause loss of life and extensive property damage. Sabah Mineral and Geological Survey Director Dr Frederick Francis Tating said early warning systems would be installed at various locations following the recent completion of four-month geological mapping studies in the State.Sabah recorded a total of 192 landslides between 1961 and 2023. “One of the areas for the system is Mesilau in Kundasang where there was a major mud flood.

“They are planning to install an early warning system for the flow of debris there,” he told the media after handing over the final report of the latest study of Kampung Mohimboyon in Kundasang. Frederick said the system would also be installed in the village, which recorded 52 slopes and 40 landslides, which showed instability risks. The Chief Executive of Ranau District, Tinus bin Manggam, hopes the study would lead to the creation of an effective early warning system for the district, especially in the highland areas of Kundasang and Ranau where there is growing interest in tourism development. 

“Safety should be paramount, thus what we need is a more structured development, especially on hillsides, to prevent the risk of landslides that can cause unnecessary loss of life and property damage,” he said. 

Results of the recent slope mapping study showed  Kundasang has various degrees of geological disaster risk.The presentation indicated that in the worst-case scenario, a catastrophe would occur within minutes in an area of about 2,000 people, including schoolchildren.Additionally, the presentation also mentioned records of earth movements ranging from 0.01mm to 5 metres, the presence of cracks in buildings and landslides in the district of about 30,000 people.

Frederick said the findings would be shared with relevant stakeholders, especially those involved in development sectors in Ranau.Among the resolutions prepared by the department include a NATSIS system for future land application and disaster management operations. He noted the system can help reduce project costs and time by identifying geological disaster hazards at proposed project sites at advanced notice, thus mitigating potential hazards. “There is also a need to integrate data between agencies to serve as a reference for future development planning,” said Frederick, who noted the maps produced should also identify safe zones for use by the Disaster Operations Control Centre. “In addition, early planning is required to ensure the suitability of site selection based on hazard levels for any infrastructure development, such as the construction of school buildings, in areas at risk of geological hazards.“Any development in geologically sensitive areas must take into account expert advice from technical agencies and refer to the level of seismic hazard and the presence of active faults in the area.”

It said a meeting of the task force investigating the sinkhole incident in the area was held today and various agencies presented their findings.

Based on these reports, it was determined that the sinkhole incident was localised. Referring to geological information and existing soil investigation records, the location of the sinkhole is situated on the Kenny Hills Formation, which generally consists of alternating layers of schist, phyllite, and quartzite rocks,

 DBKL said in a statement, adding that the buildings and area surrounding the sinkhole are safe.

DBKL said representatives from the public works department, minerals and geoscience department, police, fire and rescue department, Indah Water Konsortium, survey and mapping department, Institution of Engineers Malaysia, and the Malaysian Geotechnical Society submitted reports on the incident.

DBKL is currently reducing the hoarding area at the incident site. Previously, the hoarding spanned 160m, stretching from Wisma Yakin to the Jalan Masjid India police booth.

It added that the new hoarding area will be divided into three sections:

a) From the entrance to the Wisma Yakin underground parking to the Jalan Masjid India/Lorong Bunus 1 junction;

b) At the second depression area in front of the Jalan Masjid India police booth; and

c) Part of Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman 3.