Adventures

I was being a total hermit on Saturday and never realised there was a landslide in Bkt Antarabangsa until I came down to watch TV that night. Immediately texted my Tai Kor who lived in the area and was assured that he and the family are fine. They had to abandon their condo and he's now looking for another place to rent/buy. He described having to plough through the jungle to get to safety. At that time, the cars had to be left behind. I didn't ask where they stayed that night, but must be hard on them with baby and all.

It's scary because just recently I mentioned in passing that I was looking for a place and he recommended his area. I said I loved his place because it was nice and breezy, but I wasn't keen on the area because it was prone to landslides. He negated this, saying that his side is safe, built on solid ground, etc. In a way, i suppose it's true because his condo is still standing, but you know how nature works. If one area has been dislodged, the areas behind will be at risk. Nobody wants another Highland Towers tragedy.

I vaguely remember a conversation with an Ampang Jaya official a few years ago. She told me that the whole area rested on a layer of clay (?). This means that heavy rain would saturate the upper layer and make them prone to sliding off the lower layer i.e. a landslide.

Now some people are blaming a 3 storey bungalow being built on the hill for the slope failure. It seems possible to me. After all, people have lived there for 20 years without any mishap, there must have been some kind of change that triggered the tragic event. Did the bungalow have proper permission to build there? Were all the procedures adhered to? Was there any dodgy dealing involved? Sadly, I must say it might be possible, because many departments are run by people who decide things based on financial gain and perception instead of hard facts.

I'm just glad that there were very few fatalities in the tragedy. Somehow, I wish we could change the way things are, because right now, too many things are being done wrong. What, then, would the future of Malaysia be?