Safety Concerns: Landslides from Rain and Poor Maintenance

Landslides: Raining versus proper maintenance

Heavy rain and landslide in Taman United, Seputeh

I just checked on my friend who has a unit in Seputeh. Her unit is fine. However for the people staying in the apartment or homes nearby the landslide, future heavy rain will always make everyone very alert. When I read the interview with a resident in the article, she said that the drainage system for the apartment has always been problematic. I wonder if proper maintenance could have prevented any untoward incidences this time and also in the future. Let’s wish something serious will be done, especially by the authorities together with the management of the apartment. Do read the details below:

Article in malaymail.com “Foo, who lives in the home inherited from her grandmother with her two children, said the incident has left them anxious about their safety, especially with the incessant rain that could worsen conditions.

Meanwhile, a resident known as Ooi, 60, said the apartment’s drainage system has long been problematic, and the ageing building has worsened the impact of the incident.

“We want the relevant authorities to take action to prevent similar incidents from recurring. There are houses located uphill near these apartments, and we fear further collapses.

“This situation will undoubtedly affect our homes and jeopardise residents’ safety,” said Ooi, who has lived at the apartment complex for seven years.” Article in malaymail.com

Proper maintenance does not mean no cases but…

Someone told me some time back that if the high-rise was properly built, its structure is far stronger than a landed property. I am not sure how true is this but I believe it should be since the structure has to support the whole building of 30, 40, 50 levels or more. However, when it comes to maintenance, this will help to extend the durability of whatever structure that has been built.

For example, rust occurs slowly but if the structure is built on steel and rust eats into the steel, then structural integrity of the building is weakened. Just need to note that even if the Malaysian buildings do not use as much steel as those in the US for example, the concrete structure is strengthened with a steel structure.

Now, coming to the drainage system. If there are leaks within the system, water will seep inside and this will slowly erode the ground underneath the drainage system. It will continue to happen until a point when the whole ground will just give way and thus a landslide could happen.

When it comes to slope, monitoring becomes critical. Periodical checks would also be critical to catch any potential weakness long before it becomes dangerous. Hopefully, these occurrences are minimized or even eliminated altogether when the RIGHT people does the right thing and continues to do it consistently.

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