Another light rail transit (LRT) extension project has caused controversy, this time for steamrolling ahead with works on a new station despite safety concerns.

kelana jaya lrt extention subang 150712 Residents in the vicinity of the 12th station of the Kelana Jaya LRT extension are up in arms over what they claim is an absence of safety plans from its main contractor Prasarana Negara Bhd.

The station is being built next to a former rock quarry in Putra Heights.

The residents fear that the works will compromise their safety as Prasarana has not disclosed any structure mitigation plans not contingency plans to strengthen the quarry, which is situated just behind their homes.

At a press conference today, Subang Alam Residents Association spokesperson Ibrahim Abu Bakar said the construction began in early June.

 

This is despite the alignment of the station - expected to run through a 20 metre wide strip of land between the quarry and their houses - not having yet secured the Selangor government’s approval.

The controversy follows hot the heels of a recent poser over the award of the Ampang LRT extension project, that PKR has alleged the involvement of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

‘Quarry walls may collapse’

Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia (UKM) geologist Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin ( below ), who was roped in by the residents to study the case, said the walls of the quarry risked collapse, which would result in the flooding of the surrounding residential area.

kelana jaya lrt extention subang 150712 He pointed out that the former quarry is known for having a vertical rock face with fragmented rock mass.

The 70-metre deep quarry has been filled into a lake, hence nobody can predict the stability of the rock slope without carrying out detailed geological mapping, he said.

“In Jalan Kuari, Cheras and in Rawang Perdana, there have been cases of collapse of the rock slope despite (the slope) being exposed on the surface,” he said.

kelana jaya lrt extention subang 150712 Tajul said should the LRT beams be erected next to the quarry, it might cause cracks in the quarry slope, due to both soil disturbance during construction as well as from the future LRT trains running on the track 300 times daily.

“It will cause the soil and rock from the lake embankment to start to rupture.

“Should the lake embankment totally collapse, the LRT pillar will fall and water from the lake will gush out towards Subang Alam and cause flooding,” he noted in his findings.

 If this happens, more than 300 houses on both sides of the quarry will bear the brunt of the disaster said Ibrahim.

Not financially viable

When asked whether this could be avoided if proper structural mitigation was in place, Tajul said it was possible but not financially viable.

"They can build retention walls, do slope reinforcement and the like, but it's going to cost a lot of money because nobody knows how stable the quarry face is.

"In this case, it's better to avoid the quarry and go for re-alignment," he said.

Previously, the Selangor government had commissioned a committee which proposed an alternative route which runs along Persiaran Klang, about 2km away from the current sites.

Although the proposal has indicated that the alternative route would be good for ridership, it was not adopted by Prasarana.

Earlier this year, Selangor government approved the two stations but not the alignment, pending for the outcome of an independent geology study.

Hence, Prasarana can begin with construction work but risk having to scrap it, should the alignment be rejected.

The residents are now urging the state to immediately halt the construction.

"We are very disappointed that the state government has allowed the construction to take place without any guarantee to the project's safety and our security.

"This is something very unreasonable, unprofessional and not transparent," said the residents in a press statement.