It was the first time I could remember hillside soil erosion ever causing a massive multi-storey building to collapse.
I'd have thought that over 15 years later, we'd have learned our lesson. Evidently not.
We're left wondering in the aftermath of another disaster, why it still happens.
It's not that we have poor legislation to ensure the integrity of the environment. Or lousy technology when it comes to geology and material science.
No matter how many laws and regulations exist, frankly, they can all be flouted when we have corrupt bureaucrats issuing licenses & permits at their whims.
If those in power stopped for a moment to think about the consequences of approving something that does not meet requirements, we would have less to worry about. And we wouldn't be in this situation.
Just one thing irks me. It's about calling incidents like these acts of God.
Leave God out of this. It's the filthy politicians who are to blame.
8 comments:
Crankster,
In the light of such tragedies both past and present, it is evident that many developers are ruthless in their pursuit of wealth and are ready to make compromises not only on the state of the environment but also with regards to the lives of innocent civilians.
Even if/when a tragedy occurs, they know, as seen in the Highland Towers experience, they can escape the noose by buying time while the innocent ones have to pay the price of their greed with their lives, pain of losing their loved ones and their homes.
All the brouhaha about stopping landslides is for plastic surgery to mask the hypocrisy that lurks beneath the concerned expressions *puke*. When people have forgotten about the deaths and damages, they will be at it again - until the next tragedy - an unending cycle of greed and death ....
bleeding heart and tearful face :(
i read in the news that following the highland tower tragedy, the govt has previously called for a stop on hillside development...
well well well, has anyone been to kiaramas development lately?i went there to view a unit and when i looked out the balcony to have a look at the foundation.... it's damn scary, i wont be surprise if that particular condo (forgotten its name) will share the same fate as highland tower.
Knights, maybe. But our very existence on this planet is detrimental to mother nature. It's just how we balance our development.
To ask developers to stop lobbying the government for hillside projects is monumental stupidity.
Developers have a right and a fundamental business sense to build what they think people would like and buy.
I for one, would love a house on the hills. It is the government's duty to approve or reject projects based on the requirements and regulations.
If the developers have met the standards, there is no harm building houses on hills. But our bureaucrats are probably either too incompetent or too corrupted to do what is right.
Hence tragedies like these.
masterwordsmith, it is human greed and immorality of us Asians that lands us in these situations.
zewt, I think I know which one you're referring to. I went to view some of these units in the mont kiara/ sri hartamas area some time ago.
Another accident waiting to happen.
I can't be checking the bloody foundation and other stuff in the house I plan to buy. I know that there are laws and regulations to protect me, the consumer, and keep me safe. So, if it the building has a CF, then I assume my interests have been taken care of, and I can buy it knowing I will be safe, no?
Apparently, NOT.
Pat
Crank ... i too would love a house on the Hills ...Frasier Hills would'nt be so bad ...BUT the fact that Ulu Klang -Bukit Antarabangsa hills ARE the Water Catchment AREA for Klang valley ...landslides happen there for a reason ...you're messing with water movement there if u Build !
In that area alone ...lets count the landslides ...
Dec 10, 1985: Two new unoccupied double-storey houses in Taman Melawati, collapsed at 8.50am during heavy downpours.
Sept 17, 1998: One house was destroyed in Gombak due to soil erosion.
March 29, 1990: A landslide occurred in Taman Setia Wangsa, affecting 80 families in two flats.
Dec 25, 1997: Three people were buried alive in a landslide in Km 17 of the Ampang-Hulu Kelang Expressway.
May 15, 1999: Thousands of residents in Bukit Antarabangsa and Wangsa Ukay in Jalan Hulu Klang were trapped when a 100-metre long landslide occurred at 5.20am and cut off the only access road to the hilly residential area.
Feb 24, 2000: A four-year-old child was killed in a landslide in Kampung Sri Damai, near Taman Kencana, Ampang.
Oct 5, 2000: A landslide occurred in Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa during heavy downpours but no casualty was reported.
Nov 20, 2002: A landslide at 4.30am flattened the double-storey bungalow of Affin Bank Bhd chairman Gen (Rtd)Tan Sri Ismail Omar.
His wife, Puan Sri Azizah Abdul Aziz, his son Hijaz, two in-laws, two grandchildren and two Indonesian maids, perished in the 4.35am incident.
The bungalow was located 300m away from the Highland Towers.
May 31, 2006: Four people including two children were killed when they were buried alive in a landslide that flattened three blocks of longhouses at Kampung Pasir during a heavy downpours at 4.45pm.
Dec 6 -- 4 killed ..14 Bungalows buried ..,Bukit Antarabangsa...
And the Mother of it all and still the Morons NEVER learn .....
On Dec 11, 1993, 48 people were killed when one of the three condominium blocks of Highland Towers in Taman Hillview, located 1.5km away from Saturday's landslide scene, collapsed.
you da engineer...go figure why ?
Shalom
Pat, that's my point exactly. It's not my job to investigate whether the house is safe to live in. That's why we have governments, to do that job for us.
This government is so on its way out. I hope.
Knights, if that's what you were saying, I agree completely. I personally think the land north of KL is unfit for building.
Crank ...my last comment on this subject ...you said ...This government is so on its way out. I hope...Good ! You wanna know how many hillslope developement the PRESENT STATE GOVERMENT of selangor approved or did NOT review ?Remember dear ...the selangor state goverment now is not the OPPOSITION ...as they sometimes think they are ...100 bucks say they wont stop any such developements in SELANGOR ...i will mail you the pictures .
Shalom
Sigh. Don't tell me - same people, different packaging. Send me the pictures. My email add is on my profile.
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