Landslide: Residents of seven houses in Taman Kelab Ukay ordered to vacate homes
Residents of seven double-storey terrace houses in Taman Kelab Ukay in Bukit Antarabangsa, Kuala Lumpur, have been ordered to vacate their homes following a landslide in the vicinity early today.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Hafisham Mohd Noor said the department was alerted of the incident at 2.21am and arrived at the scene at 2.33am...
UPDATED 2PM | Residents of seven double-storey terrace houses in Taman Kelab Ukay in Bukit Antarabangsa, Kuala Lumpur, have been ordered to vacate their homes following a landslide in the vicinity early today.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Hafisham Mohd Noor said the department was alerted of the incident at 2.21am and arrived at the scene at 2.33am.
“A total of 40 occupants in the seven houses were instructed to vacate their homes due to the presence of cracks on the walls of their houses,” Hafisham told reporters at the scene.
He said all the occupants were not allowed to be in their homes until the local authorities decide on the next course of action.
The landslide was believed to have occurred following continuous rain, resulting in soil movement in the area, he added.
A survey by Bernama at the location saw occupants of the affected houses waiting in an open area in front of their homes for workers from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to complete setting up tents.
It is also noticed that the location of the landslide is about two metres from their houses, causing serious cracks on some of the houses. The soil movement also caused the kitchen area of some houses to cave-in.
Firefighters were also seen placing canvas sheets on the place where the landslide occurred to prevent further erosion.
Meanwhile, a resident, Amirul Al Jufri Abdul hamid, 27, said he realised the landslide at about 2am when he heard the noise of trees falling behind the house and quickly alerted his family members, who were sleeping.
“This is the worst landslide. Prior to this, it was just a minor one and residents here took the initiative to put up a barrier, to prevent erosion or so on," Amirul said, adding that he has been living in the area for more than 23 years.
Another resident, Sharifah Sawandin, 48, said a telephone call from a neighbour at about 1.30am alerted her about the landslide.
“There are five of us in the house are we were all sleeping. The call from the neighbour woke us up and we were told to get our things and leave the house,” Sharifah said, adding that her family would comply with the order for them to vacate the house.
RM2 million allocated to build a retaining wall
Later today, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said a sum of RM2 million has been allocated to build a retaining wall at the landslide area.
She said the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) has been directed to take immediate action to repair the affected area.
According to Zuraidah, construction and repair works were expected to be completed within six months and residents were directed to vacate their homes during the period.
"I have directed the contractors to start their work, the allocation has been approved immediately for MPAJ to do their work,” she told reporters after visiting the scene today.
Commenting on residents ordered to vacate their homes, the Ampang Member of Parliament said they would be temporarily housed at the Hotel De Palma, Ampang.
- Bernama
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