MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: Malay Mail

The collapsed bungalow in Taman Hillview, Ampang, was built on top of a stream flowing from the hilltop behind the house.

According to the 1980 topography map, the natural stream existed to allow access water from the hilltop to flow into a retention pond nearby.

However, the stream disappeared when the area was developed in 1981, according to Kumpulan Ikram Sdn Bhd director Dr Mahadzer Mahmud yesterday.

He said if was not known whether the stream was diverted or covered but they are checking if there was any change in the movement of old streams in the area.

Mahadzer said they are using the superimposed method on the Geographical Information System (GIS) to determine the history of topography in Taman Hillview.

"We have in our archives the topography of this area as far as in 1966. We will check if there were any changes, especially in the old streams in the area," he said.

"There was also a pond not far from the site. Unfortunately, it is still premature for me to determine the location of the pond now."

The 1980 topography map is important as it showed the condition of the area a year before the land was developed into a housing estate.

Mahadzer said initial investigations showed a water catchment on top of the hill and rubble pitching which contained water.

"The soil in this area is also loose, especially during the rainy season, as there is not enough vegetation to hold it together," he said.

Asked whether geological investigations have been done in Taman Hillview following the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993, Mahadzer said "yes" and the last topography map was done in 1997.

"When the geological study was done after the Highland Towers tragedy, we found that this site is also one of the landslide-prone areas. We did not expect it would happen this soon and fast," he said.

He said they have two teams comprising engineers, geologists, geotechnical engineers and hydrologists to monitor both Hillview and Dataran Ukay round the clock.

Would future development deteriorate the soil condition and cause more landslides in the area?

"It would be advisable for the local authority to set up a high-powered committee consisting of town planners, architects, geologists and geotechnical engineers to deal with hillslope development," said Mahadzer.

He said a similiar committee has been set up in Penang which has been very active and successful in monitoring and approving projects on hillslopes.

At the same time, Mahadzer advised the local authority to set up a comprehensive monitoring system to detect any soil movement in landslide-prone areas.

Called the soil monitoring detector, he said the device can check and prevent any landslide from occuring.